- Page 1
- Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7 - Page 8 - Page 9 - Page 10 - Page 11 - Page 12 - Page 13 - Page 14 - Page 15 - Page 16 - Page 17 - Page 18 - Page 19 - Page 20 - Page 21 - Page 22 - Page 23 - Page 24 - Page 25 - Page 26 - Page 27 - Page 28 - Page 29 - Page 30 - Page 31 - Page 32 - Page 33 - Page 34 - Page 35 - Page 36 - Page 37 - Page 38 - Page 39 - Page 40 - Page 41 - Page 42 - Page 43 - Page 44 - Page 45 - Page 46 - Page 47 - Page 48 - Page 49 - Page 50 - Page 51 - Page 52 - Page 53 - Page 54 - Page 55 - Page 56 - Page 57 - Page 58 - Page 59 - Page 60 - Page 61 - Page 62 - Page 63 - Page 64 - Page 65 - Page 66 - Page 67 - Page 68 - Page 69 - Page 70 - Page 71 - Page 72 - Page 73 - Page 74 - Page 75 - Page 76 - Page 77 - Page 78 - Page 79 - Page 80 - Page 81 - Page 82 - Page 83 - Page 84 - Page 85 - Page 86 - Page 87 - Page 88 - Flash version © UniFlip.com |
Page 14
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
May 17, 2013
Casino Now Open 24 Hours
Southwest Bar & Grill • 410-208-1383
11033 Nicholas Lane, Ocean Pines • Ocean Pines South Gate Entrance
By SHAWN J. SOPER
NEWS EDITOR
PREAKNESS PARTY
HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 4 P.M.-7 P.M.
$1.25 TACOS
LA HA RITAS $5 • RAIL MARGARITA $3 • RAIL DRINKS $3 DOMESTIC BEER $1.50 • IMPORT BEER $2.50 HOUSE WINE $3 • PREMIUM WINE $4.25
OCEAN PINES DINNER SPECIALS
• SUNDAY: $9.95 STEAK OR CHICKEN FAJITAS • MONDAY: $1.25 TACO NIGHT • TUESDAY: $9.95 STEAK OR CHICKEN FAJITAS • WEDNESDAY: $5 BURGERS AND BURRITOS • THURSDAY: $1.25 TACO NIGHT • FRIDAY: SEAFOOD NIGHT • SATURDAY: $11.95 PRIME RIB WITH POTATO AND VEG.
WELCOME CRUISERS
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT 5 P .M.-9 P .M. EVERY THURSDAY: KALEB BROWN SATURDAY, MAY 18: MICHAEL SMITH
OPEN EVERY DAY AT 4 P.M. • WWWOCLAHACIENDA.COM
Reservations For Groups Of 8 Or More • Awarded Hall Of Honor By The Restaurant Association Of Maryland • Smoke Free
BERLIN – Starting Friday morning at 8, the Casino at Ocean Downs will remain open 24 hours a day until Monday, Sept. 30, at 4 a.m. The Casino at Ocean Downs last week gained approval from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency for its new hours of operation. Maryland voters in November approved through a referendum a gaming bill that, among other things, allows casinos in the state to operate 24 hours a day if they chose. The Casino at Ocean Downs earlier this year applied to the state gaming agency for a 24/7 operation and the application was approved. Other casinos already operating in Maryland, including Maryland Live in Anne Arundel County, are already open 24 hours a day, but because of the seasonal nature of the resort area, the Berlin casino has only operated on a 24hour basis on weekends thus far. However, in an attempt to take advantage of the summer season, the Casino at Ocean Downs applied for and received permission to operate 24 hours a day through the end of September. As a result, the Berlin casino
will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 17, and will remain open around the clock until 4 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30. After that, the Casino at Ocean Downs will return to an off-season schedule. Beginning Sept. 30, the Ocean Downs casino will be open from 8 a.m.-4 a.m. on Monday through Thursday and will resume 24-hour operations from Friday to 4 a.m. on Monday mornings, General Manager Joe Cavilla said this week. In another significant change expected to take place this summer, the Casino at Ocean Downs will be allowed to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. each day after the Maryland General Assembly passed compromise legislation during the 2013 session that also included an earlier sunset provision on the requirement for restaurants and bars in Worcester County to purchase liquor exclusively from the county’s Department of Liquor Control (DLC). In March, feathers were ruffled when it was learned an amendment could be attached to a bill in the General Assembly addressing other issues related to Worcester County’s liquor laws that would have allowed the Casino at Ocean Downs to serve alcohol 24 hours a day. The proposed change rankled the liquor license holders in Worcester, most of which are concentrated in and around Ocean City, because of the perception it would create an uneven playing field for the bars and restaurants that would still be held to the firm 2 a.m. closing time. As a result, the license holders pushed for a concession on their behalf in the form of an earlier disconnect date from the county’s DLC wholesale operation. As part of the legislation that dissolved the old Liquor Control Board (LCB) and created the county-run DLC, the licensees were required to continue to purchase wholesale liquor from the county until July 1, 2016, at which point they would be able to opt out and purchase spirits on the open market if they so desired. When the dust settled, the amendment was changed to allow the Casino at Ocean Downs to continue to serve alcohol until 4 a.m., not 24 hours as they originally hoped for, and the sunset date for the license holders to opt out of the DLC and test the wholesale open market was moved to July 1, 2014. The legislation created a new class of liquor license in Worcester County exclusive to the Casino at Ocean Downs, allowing the facility to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. However, the earliest the extended hours for liquor sales at the casino could take effect is July 1, pending the issuance of the new class of license by the county, according to Cavilla.
|