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South Philly Begs Gaming Board: Put Casino Anywhere Else

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At yesterday's Casino hearings, two South Philly community organizations pleaded with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to consider their plight, and not grant a license to any of the three casinos (Casino Revolution, Live! Hotel & Casino, and Hollywood Casino,) proposed to go up in South Philly.

Both organizations explained that, between the stadium and the concert venues, they were already contending with two stadiums, an arena, and an entertainment complex, they were dealing with enough already. Though NIMBY arguments are usually easy to dismiss, it's hard not to sympathize with South Philly residents who already contend with "380 annual events, 8 million visitors and 5.5 million vehicle trips each year." The fact that the casinos would be open 24/7 would mean that South Philly residents never get a break from the stream of outside traffic.

Perhaps less sympathetic were the arguments of a consultant to The Sugar House, who argued that a second casino would cannibalize The SugarHouse. His solution? Let the second license go unclaimed and allow the SugarHouse to reign supreme.
· Some - including a SugarHouse consultant - say no to proposed casinos [Plan Philly]