Daily Record

Just days before the deadline for bids on five state slot machine gambling sites, developers are keeping mum about whether they are submitting proposals, but the hefty upfront fees that must accompany the proposals could deter them.

Bids to build video lottery gambling parlors in five locations across the state, including in Baltimore City, are due Monday. On Jan. 7, the Baltimore Development Corp. hosted a question-and-answer session on the site, which was attended by representatives of several Maryland companies, including the Cordish Co. of Baltimore and Camp Springs-based The Harbor Group.

Two representatives from The Harbor Group declined to tell The Daily Record whether they would submit a bid by Monday, and David Cordish, the Baltimore developer of Power Plant Live, declined multiple requests for comment.

But Johnnie D. Bond Jr., a Washington-based attorney who represents the Maryland Gaming Group, a partnership between casino operator Hard Rock International and Kenneth R. Banks, treasurer of the state Democratic Party and owner of Banks Contracting Co. Inc., said Tuesday his client intends to bid on one of the licenses, either in Baltimore City or Anne Arundel County. He also said that they have been in contact with Cordish about a possible partnership.

“Cordish is in talks with the group,” he said. “To what extent, they’ve not formed a relationship as of yet.”

Cordish has a relationship with Hard Rock — the company’s flagship retail franchise, the Hard Rock Café, was one of the first tenants to take a lease in downtown Baltimore’s Power Plant project.

On Tuesday, Cordish told The Washington Post, “We’re definitely applying” for a license to operate a slots facility in Anne Arundel County. If so, Cordish will be competing with the Maryland Jockey Club, which owns Laurel Race Track, which is located within the state’s allowable area for video lottery gambling.