The investors behind Foxwoods, a casino planned for Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street in South Philly, hope to seal a deal this week with a major investor who would control how the project is built and may eventually run it, an attorney for the investors told the state Gaming Control Board this morning. Will that come soon enough?
The board and its staff is clearly fed up with delays in getting Foxwoods up and running. The board's Office of Enforcement Council has asked for a $1,000-per-day fine for delays. Board member Ken McCabe asked why the Foxwoods casino license, originally granted in December 2006, shouldn't be revoked for lack of action. Board chairman Greg Fajt asked why they should "have any faith" in Foxwoods.
“You’re probably right to be cynical and jaundiced about us,” Foxwoods attorney Fred Jacoby said. "I know you’ve been patient. I know there’s a hue and cry to lynch us.”
Foxwoods missed a Dec. 1 deadline, one of several in August set by the Gaming Control Board, to provide technical plans for the casino. The casino's investors asked the board for an extension until March 1 so it could wrap up its negotiations with the new investor. At $1,000 per day, that would make the fine $58,000 so far, the board's staff noted.
Jacoby told the board a confidentiality agreement prevents him from identifying the investor. Jacoby said Keating Construction was talking with last week with the new investor. He predicted that Foxwoods would able to show the board a signed deal next week.
An investor name that has been rumored for more than a month is Steve Wynn and his Las Vegas-based company, Wynn Resorts. The company declined three weeks ago to comment on those rumors. Wynn considered seeking one of the two casino licenses that were available in the city but decided not to apply. Nick Moles, general counsel for the Foxwoods investors, declined to comment when asked about Wynn today.,
The Foxwoods investors also asked for the delay until March 1 because they wanted to see the results of a debate in the General Assembly to legalize table games at casinos across the state. That legislation was passed and signed into law earlier this month. Jacoby said the investors now want to open a casino with 2,700 slot machines, 80 to 100 table games and a hotel.
The board just took a break to consider what to do next with Foxwoods.
So how long has this been going on, 25 years? Come on, this reeks! First off, no one wants this at this site, meaning most neighbors. Has anyone ever been down the site say, on a cold Saturday afternoon? The traffic is terrible. How about putting a pier or a facility that manufactures something? Has that ever been on the table? PIGS, waiting to be fed at the trough, that's what comes to mind when I think of the casino. Sickening, just sickening.— autochthonous- Their license should have been pulled a year ago. It is evident that they do not have the resources to build this casino. Any new deal that comes along will, in essence, be a new company. They should have to reapply for a license since the original group is bankrupt. Further, the process should be opened up to new bidders.— Malcolm65
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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