Rock casinos are still on track - 2004-01-11
The main Coast casino story of 2003 was the announcement of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The grouping of a Las Vegas name and the backgrounds of the folks involved in the project made the announcement of the splashy resort front page news.

Hard Rock developers Roy Anderson and Joe Billhimer said construction of the resort, adjacent to Beau Rivage in Biloxi, would start at the end of the year. But 2003 ended before any ground was broken.
Read the full story at Biloxi Sun Herald

All eyes are on slots as Assembly convenes - 2004-01-11
Tavern owners want a piece of the action. So does the state fair in Timonium. Casino interests are sniffing around.

With the legalization of slot machines still an unanswered question in Maryland, the debate over expanded gambling has devolved into a battle royal among special interests since the General Assembly last contemplated the issue.

As lawmakers ready for a return to Annapolis this week, eyes remain fixed on House Speaker Michael E. Busch, the leading critic of slots, who some believe might be surreptitiously scuttling Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s top priority by allowing competing forces to gnaw it to death.
Read the full story at Baltimore Sun