Rendell Questions Whether Philly Needs 2nd Casino
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Rendell Questions Whether Philly Needs 2nd Casino
Chris Brennan
Gov. Rendell this morning said it is a "fair question" for the state General Assembly and the Gaming Control Board to consider whether Philadelphia needs a second casino. The Gaming Control Board on Dec. 16 revoked the license for a group of local investors with close political ties to Rendell who planned to open a casino on Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street in South Philly.
Rendell noted that SugarHouse is open for business on Delaware Avenue in Fishtown while the Parx Casino in Bensalem and Harrah's in Chester are just a short drive on Interstate 95. There is also the chance of a smaller resort style casino in Valley Forge. Rendell said he wants Pennsylvania casinos to take business from surrounding states but not from each other.
"I think we'll have to take a look at that and see if there's another part of the state that is under-served," Rendell said. "The one thing we don't want to do is cannibalize business. So I think it's a fair suggestion that someone take a look at that."
As we reported on Dec. 23, there are Republican and Democratic legislators in Harrisburg preparing legislation to alter the 2004 state law that guaranteed two casinos in Philadelphia. The local investors behind the Philadelphia casino that would have been called Foxwoods are expected to file a legal challenge to the Gaming Control Board's decision to revoke their license.
Yeah, so many parties dropped the ball when it came to casino development in Philadelphia it would be hard to blame a single culprit. One thing is certain, The Nutter Administration did nothing to make sense out of the confusion. In fact when it comes to legacies The Nutter Administration can crow about their singular contribution to city life: The incredibly well thought out donation of exactly half the space of two major streets to a couple of bicycles at the direct expense of cars, delivery vehicles, buses and emergency vehicles.
No casino at the bottom or reed street! Way to go! Now we are left with the old desolate wasteland and barbed wire we've had for years. SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING WITH THIS LAND AND GIVE US A RESPECTABLE WATERFRONT!— cemego- Agreed! Now if only the city and state would pull their heads out and use that space for something that actually benefits the public ... for example a park, since South Philly has hardly any park space. — RGTasker
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- Seriously, for those thinking people, most Third Class cities in the state are broke on the backs of municipal pensions and would welcome a slot parlor or full blown casino— robtpenn
- Parx ruined Bensalem, yes residents get $300 a month for it but they used to host the fair, Mazda challenge, BMW Test Drive and there was no traffic to deal w/ on Street Rd. I hope it goes bankrupt along w/ other casinos in this state. Who wants to contribute to the pockets of all these cronies since the state takes most of the profit, not even the casinos do.— TRDSupra
- Governor Rendell would best serve the citizens of Pennsylvania by stuffing a tube sock in his mouth until his term ends in two weeks.— BillyFortune
- Governor Rendell would best serve the citizens of Pennsylvania by stuffing a tube sock in his mouth until his term ends in two weeks.— BillyFortune
- they all should have been bid out competitively in the first place.— dreinterests
- You axed Ed Rendell???? The answer is"nothing like a monopoly for the privileged few...."— SouthPhillyDemocrat
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- No, Sugarhouse is doing much less revenue than expected. http://citypaper.net/blogs/clog/2010/12/21/saturation-point-even-without-foxwoods-sugarhouse-is-way-behind-projections/
And since all these casinos offer basically the same product (in this case they are pretty much required to) there is no reason to think that a second casino a mile and half down Delaware Ave would do anything more than cannibalize half the business off the first. Unless the customers are all coming from within a mile away that is. As always, Rendell's first concern is the financial health of his constituents: casino owners.— RGTasker - Comment removed.
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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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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. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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