Mayor Rawlings-Blake Announces Baltimore City Residents Comprise 51 Percent of Horseshoe Casino Workforce

City's first gaming facility hires more than 2,400 new employees; Approximately 1,250 are Baltimore City residents

BALTIMORE, Md. (August 26, 2014)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that more than 1,250 Baltimore City residents will be employed at the Horseshoe Baltimore casino, representing 51 percent of the staff hired as of August 21. After extensive recruitment and outreach efforts coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), in partnership with Horseshoe Baltimore, city residents will comprise a majority of the more than 2,400 employees that will staff the gaming facility, which celebrates its grand opening tonight.

"From the start, my administration has been serious about implementing a thorough outreach and recruitment plan that would give job seekers from Baltimore City's neighborhoods real opportunities to gain employment at Horseshoe Baltimore," said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. "With strong support from Horseshoe's leadership, including funding for a designated recruitment coordinator, thousands of local residents were encouraged to participate in a variety of activities to develop their skills, interview successfully, and present winning resumes."

The Horseshoe Legendary Academy—an intensive, energetic two-day workshop—gave job seekers an inside look into Horseshoe's hiring process, offered training on completing online applications, and gave participants the opportunity to practice successful video interviews and develop the enthusiastic presence required by Horseshoe. MOED and 19 MOED-trained workforce partners conducted a total of 58 academies earlier this yearNearly 2,700 job seekers participated, and more than 1,900 graduated to V.I.P. status, which earned them special hiring consideration from Horseshoe Baltimore.

These academies, along with several City-supported hiring events and job fairs, gave Baltimore City residents opportunities for employment in information technology, food service, security, video lottery terminal operation, and more. A total of 76 percent of the jobs at Horseshoe Baltimore are fulltime positions.