The Horseshoe Baltimore opened doors for visitors mere months ago but regardless of its short existence, the venue has been going through various issues.
Apart from the revenues generated and the mixed feelings about its impact on the local casino industry, the Horseshoe executives now have another trouble to deal with.
The security director of the casino, Anthony Barksdale, is departing from his post a few months after he was appointed for it.
No announcement has been released by Horseshoe’s officials so far but a written statement confirms that Barksdale will no longer be in charge of casino’s security matters.
His responsibilities are to be assigned to John Zappas who used to be an assistant of the security director.
It would not be excessive to say that Zappas has enough experience in the niche since he worked for the shuttered Atlantic City-based Showboat Casino Hotel. It is a well-known fact that the venue could not deal with the tough competition and filed for bankruptcy four months ago.
Zappas takes the reigns of Horseshoe Baltimore at a critical moment. The casino is managed by the struggling Caesars Entertainment Corp. The corporation is the sole holder of a 24-7 liquor license but there were several occasions when the weak sides of the security were revealed and now, it is Zappas’ job to restore company’s blackened reputation.
Despite the food fight at the end of August, the incident at the New Year’s Day, all thefts and robberies, Zappas and his team have to convince the communities that no compromises, concerning security will ever be made.
Horseshoe officials were asked if the incidents have anything in common with the departure of Barksdale but they remained reluctant to provide any information different from the statement they have prepared.
Company’s officials said that they are really thankful to the soon-to-leave security director and wished him all the best in his career.
Barksdale has not answered any questions about his departure so far.
Although the number of incidents reported is not too small to be neglected, the truth is that such kind of crimes are not something out of the ordinary in the area in question.
However, the Horseshoe Casino is located in downtown Baltimore, which means that every theft or robbery is carefully scrutinized because it needs to fight fierce competitors and consolidate its positions on the market and such unpleasant crimes are definitely unfavorable to its reputation.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency complies monthly reports and expectations are the number of incidents to get smaller.
