Technically, the MGM National Harbor Casino is based in Maryland, but within such close proximity to Washington DC, it may as well be in the city. Residents of the capital are said to be thrilled that they they are now able to gain access to a large, Vegas-style gambling complex that is located just eight miles to the city’s south on the banks of the Potomac River. In fact, according to the Financial Times, many of Washington’s iconic monuments such as the Capitol Building are visible from the top floors of the casino hotel.
The force behind the new National Harbor Casino is MGM, which runs some of the most popular land-casinos in Las Vegas, has brought a 24 storey complex to the area, complete with over 300 hotel rooms. However, what really makes the National Harbor stand out is the vast size of its casino floor which, at 125,000 square feet, is similar in size to many of the largest casinos in Vegas.
The new casino boasts the following:
* Slots
* Table Games – Blackjack, craps, roulette, midi-baccarat, 3-card poker, 4-card poker, Let it Ride poker, Ultimate Texas hold’em, poker
* Poker – No Limit Hold ’em, Pot Limit Omaha, 5 Card Omaha and & card Omaha Hi Low, Limit Hold ’em (higher limits and Mixed games are available upon request, as are Seven Card Stud and multiple forms of draw poker)
The National Harbor, however, knows that it cannot bank on its casino earnings alone, and as such has spent a small fortune on non-gaming facilities as well. One of its main attractions is the 3,000 seat arena which will host superstars such as Bruno Mars, Sting and Cher in the coming months.
The casino will also host local artists through its art program but its piece de resistance is a sculpture by Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Bob Dylan. The song-writer and performer has been sculpting for over three decades but his Portal, which stands at the entrance to the casino, is his first on permanent public display.
MGM is hoping that the National Harbor will also draw patrons to its excellent culinary offerings. National Harbor will be home to seven top restaurants, including Marcus, whose owner, Marcus Samuelsson cooked at the first White House dinner when President Barack Obama began his tenure.
It wasn’t difficult to convince Maryland residents to vote in favor of the National Harbor Casino, mainly because of the 4,000 permanent jobs it created and another 6,000 construction jobs during the building of the complex.
