Live! Casino Maryland Marks Anniversary with $1M College Scholarship Gift

Posted on: June 16, 2022, 05:17h.

Last updated on: June 16, 2022, 12:07h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, located in the DC/Baltimore corridor just off I-95, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. The Cordish Companies casino first opened its doors on June 6, 2012.

Cordish Companies Live! Casino Maryland scholarship — The Cordish Companies executives hold a $1 million check made payable to Anne Arundel Community College. The Maryland Live! Casino & Hotel operator made the grant in conjunction with the company celebrating the 10th anniversary of the casino resort opening in 2012. (Image: The Cordish Companies)

To commemorate the property’s successes, Cordish is looking ahead and hoping to help train the region’s next business leaders by funding their higher education. Cordish has pledged to donate $1 million to Anne Arundel Community College’s Hospitality Scholarship Program over the next 10 years.

Celebrating this momentous occasion with the community members who have supported us throughout this last decade has been a true point of pride for me and my family and we look forward to a very exciting future,” said Cordish Companies Chairman and CEO Dave Cordish.

Cordish says it will direct $100,000 to the scholarship fund each year through 2032. The Cordish chief executive said that while the company has expanded the Live! casino brand into neighboring Pennsylvania, its Maryland resort remains its “flagship property.”

Cordish opened a satellite gaming venue in Pennsylvania at the Westmoreland Mall outside of Pittsburgh in November 2020. The facility is called Live! Casino Pittsburgh. Cordish’s primary property in Pennsylvania — Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia — opened in January 2021 in the city’s Stadium District.

Training Gaming’s Future Leaders

The Cordish scholarship money will be fully allocated to the Anne Arundel Community College’s Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute. The school provides courses and curricula to train students in various hospitality sectors, including resort and gaming operations.

Its credit programs are focused on hospitality management, culinary arts, and event planning. The institute also offers continuing education programs in bartending, casino table game dealing, culinary workforce training and management, and food sanitation.

Cordish’s scholarship money will go a long way. Anne Arundel Community College charges Anne Arundel County residents just $122 per credit hour in tuition. The tuition for Maryland residents outside the county is relatively cheap at $264 per credit hour. Non-state residents are charged $415 per credit hour.

The University of Maryland charges state residents $404 per credit hour and $1,581 for out-of-state undergrads.

Live! Gaming Alive and Well

Maryland casinos are fresh off their best year ever. It came in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in all six commercial gaming properties being forced to close for a significant portion of 2020.

Statewide gross gaming revenue (GGR) totaled more than $1.92 billion last year. While MGM National Harbor led the way at nearly $770 million, Live! Casino Maryland was second at $692.2 million.

2021 was Live! Casino’s best year in its 10-year history. During its first decade, the casino has won more than $5.6 billion from its patrons.

Live! Casino Maryland GGR