Six years after gambling was legalized in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia's first casino will officially open to the public on Thursday. On Monday afternoon SugarHouse Casino opened for a trial run so the commonwealth's Gaming Control Board could conduct a standard audit of the casino's procedures. Cameras were not allowed inside.
I guess because it wasn't the real opening, there was no fanfare. A few dozen guests waited for the doors to open, more drove up to the valet parking attendants, and three hours later the group Casino-Free Philadelphia held a "memorial service" mourning, they said, "the loss of opportunities for the waterfront, as well the lives that would be ruined by compulsive gambling."