“It is our understanding that the attendance results for 2017 are fully in line with Horseshoe Casino’s business plan,” said James Bentley, Pugh’s deputy press secretary. Mayor Catherine Pugh was not made available for comment and her office didn’t directly address the question of whether concern about crime was hurting Horseshoe. There were 13 homicides in 2016 and eight in 2017. The most common crimes last year were larceny, which went from 661 to 582, a 12 percent drop, and common assault, which fell from 481 to 421, also a 12 percent decline. The 17 neighborhoods around the casino, known as the “South Baltimore Gateway,” collectively saw most crimes decrease from 2016 to 2017, according to police figures supplied by the city. “It’s tough to attract customers with a city that has issues like Baltimore does,” analyst Alan Woinski said.Īfter three straight years with more than 300 homicides, Baltimore has seen a drop in violent crime to start 2018. The city suffered 342 homicides in 2017, a per capita record, and USA Today recently declared Baltimore the nation’s most dangerous big city. Industry analysts say the Baltimore casino also has been hurt by concerns of prospective visitors about the city’s safety.
