Update: Delaware sports betting limited by federal court.
Update: The gaming board Friday took the easy way out - "a step backwards," was Mayor Nutter's apt description - by telling Foxwoods it's South Philly or nothing. Holding their noses at Young Philly Politics, with good reason.
The long-running melodrama surrounding the Foxwoods Casino proposal to build a slots parlor in Philadelphia may be coming to a turning point - or to the point of no return.
Casino executives appearing Friday before state regulators in Harrisburg need to demonstrate, first and foremost, that they still have what it takes to stay in the game.
No surprise a Foxwoods spokeswoman says the casino is "looking forward . . . to moving this project forward."
But the odds against Foxwoods keep getting longer, while the case for pulling the plug on its gambling license grows stronger.
The official purpose of the hearing before the state Gaming Control Board is to consider Foxwoods' request for a two-year extension of their license awarded in December 2006. That would give Foxwoods officials more time to secure a better location than their awful state-approved riverfront site in South Philadelphia.
The slots parlor backed by influential local investors in partnership with the Connecticut-based Mashantucket Western Pequot Tribal Nation was supposed to be open by now. But Foxwoods missed the initial deadline, in large part, due to the gaming board's blessing of a site on Columbus Boulevard at Reed Street.
Putting a slots parlor along the traffic-clogged stretch makes little sense - even less, since its big-box design also would clash with the city's vision for a vibrant waterfront.
State gaming regulators compounded their error by saddling Philadelphia with two riverfront casinos, although the SugarHouse Casino in Northern Liberties and Fishtown is more workable.
No wonder Mayor Nutter called Foxwoods "wrong for Philadelphia," echoing sustained opposition from neighbors, civic leaders and design experts.
At least Foxwoods executives faced reality in September when they announced they would explore a move. But a deal yet to be sealed to occupy the former Strawbridge's at 8th and Market Streets has stirred other opposition, and casino officials have kept the public in the dark for months about their plans.
Good for the gaming board, then, in trying to find out what's going on. Foxwoods needs to answer some basic questions: Where does it plan to locate, and - given a worsened economic outlook and a massive debt restructuring under way by the Pequot tribe - does the Foxwoods Philadelphia project have the financial muscle to pull it off?
The gaming board won't solve a thing by ordering Foxwoods to focus on its original South Philadelphia site. That site is widely opposed, even if Pennsylvania Supreme Court rulings have thwarted every effort to force Foxwoods to move to a better location.
All the delays and missteps stem back to the passage of a flawed gambling law in 2004. That legislation zoned out entire areas of the city better-suited to a casino, such as the airport. It also failed to insulate the licensing process from political influence.
The slots law needs to be fixed first, a process under way in Harrisburg. Then the gaming board needs to go back to square one and find a site for a slots parlor that works for Philadelphia.
Stadium Complex site is bad urban plan and conflicts with sporting and enterainment event goer's. South Broad Street is fatal flaw. Nothing positive is growing along the mass transit BroadStreet Subway line. why would this be any different. Atlantic City has billions of dollars of improvement but not one unique neighborhood like South Philadelphia. South Phladelphia will not be enhanced by a Casino. Tourist are in center City and would be the life blood of new revenues, and not milk revenue from area citizens. Center city retail is dying and the 8th and Market site would add just the right mixed use that could stablize Market to Walnut businesses. (There used to be four major department stores/now one) Alternatives are wrong for Philadelphia. Viva 8th and Market!!!— Clark_Kent_SuperHero
The 8th and Market site is a horrible spot! The casino would fail in four months due to lack of patrons. Why do you think there used to be 4 major stores and now its down to one? No one wants to frequent that area, especially at night? Parking is horrible and unsafe. I've talked to people who regularly frequents casinos and they have said they would not go to Foxwoods if it is located at 8th and market. Take it back to its original site. You can easily leave one casino and take a water taxi to the other one. People like to casino hop when its easy to get to near by casinos like AC and Vegas.— dds124- The 8th and Market site is a horrible spot! The casino would fail in four months due to lack of patrons. Why do you think there used to be 4 major stores and now its down to one? No one wants to frequent that area, especially at night? Parking is horrible and unsafe. I've talked to people who regularly frequents casinos and they have said they would not go to Foxwoods if it is located at 8th and market. Take it back to its original site. You can easily leave one casino and take a water taxi to the other one. People like to casino hop when its easy to get to near by casinos like AC and Vegas.— dds124
- Could someone please cut the grass at the Reed street site please? Goodness gracious!— dds124
Comment removed.- The editorial board doesn't seem to want to accept that the state can do this because Philly is a part of the legal entity that is the Commonwealth of PA. The state tried to let local control issues play out, and it got no where, so now it's asserting its right again to order a use it or lose it deadline. There's no problem with raising money -- the casinos only limit themselves because they don't want to go public. They can raise all the money they want as soon as they issue stock. Of course this is a go.— CleanupPhilly
- I wouldn't oppose Market St., but Chinatown hates it. I have to agree that the scale is all wrong, and that just adds huge costs to the Market St. site. The only possible site is one that allows a scale you see at other casino sites like Bethlehem and Chester. The state will upgrade the traffic management, and should really have started that already to get neighbors to buy in. Public transit in South Philly (picture the Broad St. Line) will finally get the attention it needs. Washington Ave. has long been in need of serious attention, as has the trail, bike lanes, and pedestrian experiences of South Philly. The city has always treated that area like garbage, so I'm eager for the state to step in and revision the way the pols in Philly define the place.— CleanupPhilly
- The paper has no basis to claim that "the case for pulling the plug has never been stronger." Whah? The "odds" aren't "longer" as the say above. The project is coming down to the wire. It would be helpful if there was some coverage of facts here.— CleanupPhilly
- You guys can't just make things up the way you want to see them. The reality is that the state can compel the investors to start building or lose the license, and the "odds" of Foxwoods forfeiting this concession are about as much as winning the Megamillions.— CleanupPhilly
- The state illegally pushed this down Philadelphia throat and then sold you into thinking this was good for you. The state can't even figure out its own budget. And we'll to believe that somehow when the state sells us on casinos, its "good" for us? Philly needs to wake up and realize we need to cut off our dependence to the state as much as possible.— testedpatience
- Yo forgetful: New Baseball Stadium to be built in Center City at Broad and Springarden or off Delaware Ave had much support by inky print media. Traffic and Fans were to be economic boost to Center City tourist trade and restaruants. Traffic was never an overridding concern. Switch locations of projects like the proposed Spectrum /"Philly Live" have all been built to revitalize urban centers like our center city. (not create new ones to let old centers be SUCKED DRY) THINK BIG URBAN PLANS...Add a Casino to eight and Market Streets, Add a 5,500 seat arena on North Broad Street below Springarden, develop the "Park in the Air" over the abandoned Reading Viaducts rail trackline (like NY City)and then give economic reason to develop the now wastelands under it north of center city into a valauble commercial/residential area...then we have PHILLY LIVING not just something called "LIVE"!! Viva Philly!!
- Comment removed.
- Put the casino at the sports complex or airport? It is a good thing no one on the inquirer's editorial board is part of the city's zoning board. First, putting a casino at the airport will help only the city and no local businesses. Second, there should be nothing at the sports complex except the stadiums; parking and traffic before, during and after events are bad enough already. Furthmore, the site on Columbus is the best site in the city for increasing tourism. Columbus/delaware ave is where any form of adult tourism/entertainment should be located. If the city was concerned about big box designs on the waterfront, it shouldn't have zoned the big box stores that are a mile down the road from this site. Let foxwoods build on this site but put some conditions in place: they have to fully use the SS US in their plan, they have to pay for any traffic improvements on Columbus and 95.— flavious27
- are philadelphians insane? this casino project would be a dream come true to any other city but the complaining,low goal setting, santa claus booing, walmart wardrobe buying,spit on the mother of an nba player city. These casinos would catapult phila into world class city status, with our infrastructure,nightlife,hotel,club,food scene,art, and music and our close proximity to the richest, and most famous city in the world tourist would not come to nyc without swing past philly and giving us their money. Our casinos would bring tourist, they would build world class shopping, and food, next more condos, more jobs with the aquarium right across the river our city would be amazing. We are nothing like vegas, or a.c. we are an large 2nd tier city and the casinos if made into an resort style area with waterfront shopping and food, amusement parks, and board walk, and biking trails think vegas in chicago/battery city nyc/baltimore harbour. A.C. will collapse as we know it phila will be the new playground of the rich and famous on the eastern seaboard, but i guess thats the problem, philly peopl would have to take off their mustard stained tanktops and look happy when they came outside. imagine that!— lanierwill
- are philadelphians insane? this casino project would be a dream come true to any other city but the complaining,low goal setting, santa claus booing, walmart wardrobe buying,spit on the mother of an nba player city. These casinos would catapult phila into world class city status, with our infrastructure,nightlife,hotel,club,food scene,art, and music and our close proximity to the richest, and most famous city in the world tourist would not come to nyc without swing past philly and giving us their money. Our casinos would bring tourist, they would build world class shopping, and food, next more condos, more jobs with the aquarium right across the river our city would be amazing. We are nothing like vegas, or a.c. we are an large 2nd tier city and the casinos if made into an resort style area with waterfront shopping and food, amusement parks, and board walk, and biking trails think vegas in chicago/battery city nyc/baltimore harbour. A.C. will collapse as we know it phila will be the new playground of the rich and famous on the eastern seaboard, but i guess thats the problem, philly peopl would have to take off their mustard stained tanktops and look happy when they came outside. imagine that!— lanierwill
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