BALTIMORE — Maryland casinos will be allowed to open 24 hours a day under new rules approved by state regulators.

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission also decided Thursday to relax limits on ATMs and lending to gamblers in casinos.

The Baltimore Sun reports that representatives from existing casinos and license-holders for Baltimore and Rocky Gap casinos that haven’t opened yet worked with the state to write the new regulations. Voters approved an expansion to include table games as well as slot machines in November.

Joanna Franklin, program director for the University of Maryland’s Center on Problem Gambling, says she was surprised that the commission worked in conjunction with casino operators to write the regulations. Franklin says she did not see a copy of the regulations until this week.

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