Shomari Stone: 'Grand Opening of Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover, MD'

Source:Shomari Stone- reporting for WRC-TV News in Hannover, Maryland.

"Grand Opening of Maryland Live! in Hanover - Casino is now open to the public

Shomari Stone takes you inside Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover, MD.

Thousands lined up for a chance to win big at the grand opening of Maryland Live! at Arundel Mills in Hanover, Maryland on Wednesday night. The casino opened with more than 3,000 slot machines and a mix of electronic table games including Blackjack, Roulette and Poker.

The new $500 million Maryland Live! Casino is designed to appeal to more than just gamblers. Those looking for a great meal have several dining options, including the Cheesecake Factor, Bobby's Burger Palace and Phillips Seafood. The project also created more than 2,500 jobs, with 1,500 employees working at the casino. The casino is expected to generate more than $400 million per year in tax revenue to support local schools.

Maryland Live! is now open to the public Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. Guests must be 21 years or older to attend."

From Shomari Stone

If you want to look at legalized gambling from partisan, political lens, this is a win, win for both hyper-partisan sides of the political isle in America: 

The Left gets their new government revenue to support all of their so-called progressive programs that they want, as well as new revenue for government programs that we actually need like education, infrastructure, and law enforcement. 

The Right gives the Maryland Assembly and Governor Martin O'Malley the opportunity to lower taxes in Maryland on individuals and businesses, because of all the new good jobs that are created by casinos and the taxes that the people who go to the casinos will pay. As well as giving Maryland the opportunity to keep new revenue in the state that otherwise would've gone to Delaware or New Jersey that has legalized gambling in their states. 

I know the Christian-Right doesn't like gambling because it violates their fundamentalist religious beliefs. And the Nanny State-Left doesn't like gambling because they're worried about too many people gambling their money away. But this is not a theocracy (at least not yet) and the State of Maryland is not a nanny state (at least not yet) but instead calls itself the Free State of Maryland. If you are going to call yourself the Free State, then you have to live up with that. 

Everything in life that adults do can come with real risks, including gambling. Doesn't mean you outlaw it and hope it goes away, especially when you are talking about victimless crimes. Every activity that Americans participate in life can be safely and responsibly regulated, as well as taxed, to make them as safe as possible, but also put take pressure off of taxpayers when it comes to income and property taxes and allow for you to keep more revenue in your state. Which is how gambling, as well as marijuana, should be handled in Maryland.