Philly Casino Watch http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog Philadelphia Casino News & Opinion Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:47:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 en Rendell Calls Council Gutless http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=10 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=10#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:24:48 +0000 Steve http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=10 Governor Ed Rendell said the following about the current council, “City Council with no guts that can be extorted by community groups.”

This is big news, and shows how the powers in Harrisburg are flexing their muscles in result of Mayor Nutter pulling the “riparian lands” license for the Sugar House Casino. Read about it in our post, Nutter Does Philly Right.

The Casino-Free Philadelphia Organization feels strongly about the recent developments, “Extorted by community groups? Give us break. We call it democracy, Rendell. It is not gutless to take leadership from the people. It does take guts to stand up to casino money. Rendell has his priorities screwed up.”

Northern Liberties resident Debbie King expressed her thoughts, “Who is the governor representing? Does he represent the people of Philadelphia or does he represent the special interests? If he represented the people, he would be looking at new locations for these casinos away from our neighborhoods.”

You can sign this petition in hopes of having Gov. Rendell retract his statements.

Sources:
casinofreephila.org
philly.metro.us

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=10 Nutter Does Philly Right http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=9 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=9#comments Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:10:57 +0000 Steve http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=9 In the post “Thank you Mayor Street” by Jamie, he explains the situation in which previous Philadelphia Mayor Street passed the “riparian lands” license to begin building the Sugar House Casino. Well, it turns out that we are not the only ones who thought that it was the wrong move; Mayor Nutter is on our side (so it seems as of now)!

Mayor Nutter asked Commerce Director Bumb to revoke the license because it had been “issued in error” and was “unnecessarily rushed.” Nutter said the issue was “not just about money” and continued, “This is about proper process and procedure and how we conduct ourselves here in the city.”

Of course this has the Sugar House CEO Greg Carlin flipping out, “We have been advised by our legal team that the City’s action to rescind our submerged lands license is contrary to law given the pending litigation surrounding that license.”

Bumb countering Mr. Carlin’s comments states, “The city had not reviewed submerged lands for 20 years […] It was a little-known process involved here, and that probably should have caused us to be more cautious […] We hurried it more in a way that was helpful to the project.” But now he sees there are other factors that should not have been ignored, such as the community.

This is a huge victory for the city of Philadelphia, but it is only one small step in the right direction. It is an uphill battle that seems can never be won…or can it?

Check out this news clip!

Sources:
planphilly.com
philly.com

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=9 Rakin’ it In http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=8 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=8#comments Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:34:04 +0000 Jamie http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=8 Is number one good? Being in first place is good, right? Well, Mohegan Sun’s PA slot parlor should know. They ranked number one in a list of East Coast slots for revenue last year. After only one year and they’ve already passed Atlantic City’s slot revenue on a per machine basis. Mohegan Sun currently operates 1,203 slot machines - each of which are pulling in just over $400 a day. Furthermore, Philadelphia Park, PA ranked 3rd, while Meadows Racetrack and Casino and Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack rounded out the top five respectively. Not bad for their first year!

So what does that translate into as a whole for the Pennsylvania Gaming industry? Well, according to the PGCB pulled in $1.04 billion last year, resulting in $572 million in taxes that will go towards property tax relief for PA’s citizens. Not exactly insignificant. Opponents in Philly are gonna be hard pressed to change the state’s course with results like that.

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=8 Thank you Mayor Street http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=5 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=5#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:49:32 +0000 Jamie http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=5 Well, I guess it’s true what they say: “Better later than never.” On his final day in office (Friday, January 4, 2008) Mayor Street issued permits allowing Sugarhouse Casino to use heavy machinery for leveling and grading the building site. The state Department of Environmental Protection also issued Sugarhouse a storm-water discharge construction permit on the same day, knocking down one more obstacle in Sugarhouse’s path. Newly appointed Mayor Nutter will check to make sure the permits were issued properly. The Sugarhouse train steams ahead!

-Jamie

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=5 I Sympathize a Little but are We Talking about the Same Fishtown? http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=7 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=7#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:29:02 +0000 Jamie http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=7 After reading a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer the other day I had to stop and question myself for a second. We are talking about Fishtown, Philadalphia right? So many of the neighborhood opponents of the casinos seem to think they live in quaint crime free country town with just some “good ol’ fashion down-to-earth folk”. In the article a current resident of Fishtown explains that he will be leaving in search of quiter and safer outskirt, stating that he’d “love a place where kids can run around, have friends right down the street.” And you think that could be found in Fishtown? As someone who regularly walks and drives through Fishtown, I would have to say that it would almost be neglectful to let your kids roam those streets freely. Don’t get me wrong the place is no Compton, L.A. but it certainly isn’t a white picket fence neighborhood either. Also, I sympathize with the subject of the article for having to relocate as a direct result of the casinos and I also recognize that the city of Philadelphia might be losing a fine, well-educated citizen. All I ask is that you don’t paint a false picture for the people who aren’t familiar with the surrounding neighborhoods that have been neglected industrial wastelands for so long.

Oh, and I almost forgot. For everyone who claims they “had no say” in the casino process: You did have a say in the matter…when you voted for your respective government representatives.

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=7 3 Weeks http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=6 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=6#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:57:29 +0000 Jamie http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=6 That’s right. Three weeks until Sugarhouse breaks ground. On Monday (12/3/2007) the Supreme Court gave Sugarhouse the permission they needed to start building on the old Jack Frost Refinery site. The ruling effectively overode City Council’s refusal to issue Sugarhouse the proper permits needed to start construction. Finally! Foxwoods said that with this ruling in place it too would ask the Supreme Court to bypass city council and issue the permits allowing construction. City Council members said they would challenge the ruling, while neighborhood opponents said they will begin training for their demonstrations and protests. All I have to say is good luck defying the Supreme Court’s decision and good luck chaining yourself to a fence in the middle of December! Undoubtedly, the casino’s opponents options are facing the end of the road, but hey keep an eye on our live camera and watch the protesters and their futile attempts from the warmth of your home. This could actually turn out to be pretty interesting.

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=6 “The house always wins” – Steve’s Take http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=4 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=4#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:56:27 +0000 Steve http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=4 There is so much wrong with the establishment of Casinos in Philadelphia’s historic waterfront district that I am plagued with where to start and how to structure this Blog entry, while maintaining a professional tone and open mind to contrary beliefs. Casinos are bad for communities; they increase crime, overwhelm areas with social problems, destroy local small businesses, lower the quality of jobs, and so on…

Philadelphia’s police department has a hard enough task controlling the city as it is today, add two casinos with 24/7 free unlimited drinks into the equation, and the future looks grim at best. It’s no wonder why crime rates in casino communities are 84% higher than the national average. And these are not the drunken fist fight crimes; we are talking about rape, gun violence, and prostitution!

The social problems that come with the institution of casinos are countless; most notable will be the inevitable bankruptcy, addictions (gambling, drugs, alcohol, prostitution), suicide, homelessness, and many more horrible results from these infernal money machines. I could write an essay on the social evils of the industry citing hundreds of case studies, articles, and experiments – but in respect of the length of this Blog I will not…if you have further interest on this subject, you can start by Googling: casinos social implications.

Why go to the local pub and grab a $5.00 Guinness when you can go to the Casino and drink all night for FREE?! Sounds like a small business killer question to you too? On top of the negative effect it will have on local restaurants and pub’s, think about the traffic situation. They are estimating an additional 40,000 cars per day added in to the already backed up I-95! Delaware/Columbus Avenue are always congested now, add this extra traffic and imagine the gridlock, gas wastage, and additional pollution to the lovely waterfront district of Philadelphia.

So it seems the only argument left for a casino supporter would be, “what about all the extra tax money?” It’s so funny talking to these people – they think its all just “free” money, they notice none of the above problems of crime and social troubles – but rather just the “free” money. The reality is that almost every dollar generated in tax is from our own pockets (the majority of casino goers will be Pennsylvanians), and the other 50% of our dollar goes to the casino investor, whom I guarantee has the education behind him/her not to get addicted to a losing bet! These casinos are just another way for the government to take more money out of our pockets, when will it be enough?! The future makes me sick…and that is why I am Anti-Casino!

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=4 Jamie’s Take http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=3 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=3#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:00:48 +0000 Jamie http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=3 For me the establishment of the casinos has been a torturous process. It has been three and a half years since the bill has been passed permitting the operation of slots in the state of Pennsylvania and the largest city in the state has yet to break ground on either the SugarHouse Casino or the Foxwoods Casino.

For those of you who don’t know, the state of Pennsylvania passed a bill back in July of 2004 legalizing the use of slot machine gaming for 14 venues, which at that time had yet to be determined. Since then, a selection process has taken place, awarding licenses to the applicants who best fit the selection criteria. Two of those licenses were given to both the SugarHouse Casino and the Foxwoods Casino by the state and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The locations for both casinos were approved for locations along the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The SugarHouse Casino would be located at the north end of the city, while Foxwoods Casino would be located at the south end.

Now, despite having been approved by the state and selected by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the city of Philadelphia has refused to issue the proper zoning permits to the casinos in response to a vocal minority of local community members opposing the casinos’ establishment. This has led to a multitude of legal battles over who has the right to decide the establishment of the casinos and that is where we are today. It is my belief that the economic and tax revenue implications of slots in Pennsylvania is far too great to ignore. The potential hundreds of millions of dollars per year in tax revenue (the casinos will have a tax rate of 54 percent) would have far reaching effects across the city and state. Furthermore, the city’s riverfront can currently only be described as a primarily tattered industrial wasteland. Anyone denying that is merely delusional. With the exception of the futile efforts to develop Penn’s Landing, which was a modest success at best, the river has remained an absolute waste of a natural resource. Finally, there is an opportunity to change that with the two casinos acting as the catalyst and economic driving force and it would be foolish for the city to turn its back on the opportunity and that’s why I’m PRO-CASINO.

]]> http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=3 Hello Philadelphia http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=1 http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=1#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:58:11 +0000 Jamie http://phillycasinowatch.com/blog/?p=1 About the Website: We are PhillyCasinoWatch.com. Our website has been created to provide an outlet for local community members and anyone else with a say to express their opinions regarding the potential establishment of the SugarHouse Casino and Foxwoods Casino on the Philadelphia riverfront. Visit our open forum to express you opinions now. We are also hosting a live streaming camera watching the SugarHouse Casino site so that everyone can watch the most recent developments in real time. In addition we will be regularly updating our blog so that we can share all the latest developments on the riverfront concerning the casinos.

About the Creators: The creators, Steve and Jamie, are from Baltimore and Philadelphia respectively. They created the site so that the people could express themselves regarding the casinos, as well as monitor the casinos’ progress remotely in real time. That being said, Steve and Jamie stand on opposite sides of the fence regarding the establishment of the casinos. Steve is an anti-casino advocate while Jamie is pro-casino. This blog, as well as the forum, will be used as an outlet for the both of them to express themselves and keep you updated on the latest developments.

Thank you for visiting and don’t hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can do to improve your viewing experience.

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