Baltimore's city developers are pledging to build the state's first slot-machine parlor, which will be several times larger than their original proposal and which, according to gaming industry analysts, likely will draw a wider client base with a more fashionable downtown location.

The plan now puts the casino on land that previously was once set for a sports complex. This was surprising to developers who said they didn't know the parcel was available for a casino, and it also presents more competition to another casino.

A rival developer Cordish Co. wants to build a casino in Anne Arundel County, the largest and most ambitious of the four casinos which are being proposed in the state, but one that is currently mired in zoning issues.

Jon Cordish, a vice president with the Cordish Co., said that if bidders had known that the city would make the Russell Street location available, the city site would have generated more interest. Cordish said it would have affected his views of the site as a slots location.

The Baltimore development group is moving to be the first to open in the state after voters approved slot machine gambling in November. That will present the city casino a new opportunity for building loyalty among customers, analysts say.

"There is always an advantage in business to opening first," Cordish said in an e-mail. He declined to further discuss the revised Baltimore plans.






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