Photo by BrianMKA

It was just last week that MGM International was proudly announcing that it would be opening an $800 million high-end casino at the National Harbor, a project that had Maryland leaders singing the praises of the money it could bring the state. But now that project seems to have hit a bit of a rough patch.

Earlier this week a working group of Maryland legislators and officials from Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration failed to reach consensus on whether or not to expand gaming options in the state and lower the tax on gaming revenues.

Yesterday O’Malley and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker expressed their frustration with the group’s inability to move forward on the project, accusing casino owners in Anne Arundel County of pushing against the National Harbor casino option.

Not all hope is lost, though. The group will keep working towards calling a summer legislative session, where some of the contentious details can be ironed out and the groundwork can be laid for a November referendum on expanding gambling in the state.