Casino controversy persists throughout area

By Taylor-Lynn Capaldo
Collegian Staff
November 8, 2006

By now, most Philadelphia-area residents are familiar with the issues surrounding the “casino controversy” in the Penn’s Landing area. Pennsylvania passed a bill in 2004 that legalized slotmachines in order to fund statewide property tax reductions. Ever since, Philadelphia has been the hot spot for investors from all over the country.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has received 25 applications for gambling licenses that are expected to produce over $1 billion in revenue.

Four out of the five major casinos proposed at this time are set to be located along Penn’s Landing, facing the Delaware River. These proposed casinos include Foxwoods Philadelphia, the Riverwalk Casino, the SugarHouse Casino and the Pinnacle Entertainment Casino.

These casinos are expected to take up anywhere from 11 to 33 acres of land and cost approximately $350 million each. However, they are also expected to bring somewhere around 1,000-1,700 jobs into Philadelphia once they open.

In addition to the four casinos located by the waterfront, the Trump himself is proposing a new casino called TrumpStreet facing the Schuylkill River in West Philadelphia. The casino would be located by Henry and Roberts Avenues and be visible from both I-76 and Roosevelt Boulevard. This site will take up about 18 acres, initially cost somewhere around $300 billion and will bring in approximately 905 new jobs to the area.

More recently, however, it seems as if a Chicago native is ahead in the competition of which casino will grace our waterfronts in the years to come. Neil G. Bluhm, a big time investor and developer from Chicago, is proposing, along with Philadelphia’s own Daniel Keating, to place the Philadelphia SugarHouse Casino along the Penn’s Landing waterfront in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.

According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Oct. 27, Bluhm said, “You have a phenomenal river…unfortunately, it hasn’t been developed the way it should be.”

Bluhm and his associates have been keeping a close eye on the Philadelphia area since 2003, before the state legislature even passed the bill allowing slots gambling. In 2005, shortly after the bill was passed, Daniel Keating and Philadelphia lawyer Richard Sprague had chosen their spot, at the old Jack Frost sugar refinery on North Delaware Avenue and Shackamaxon Street. They then personally selected Bluhm to operate the casino.

The SugarHouse casino plans include 1,500 slot machines, five restaurants and a landscaped marina with pedestrian walkways.

Although Bluhm and company’s project seems as if it has many benefits, such as bringing in revenue, employment and tourism into the city of Philadelphia, it also has some downfalls. Many area residents are reluctant to agree to the casino’s development in the Fishtown neighborhoods.

The Philadelphia Inquirer interviewed Fishtown resident Matt Pappajohn from the Fishtown Neighborhoods Association about his feelings on the proposal. Pappajohn said, “It’s basically a giant box to house slot machines and cars. If it had more amenities, like a movie theater, it would be less odious and could benefit more people.”

As the casino controversy continues to surround the Penn’s Landing area, other areas around Philadelphia are dealing with the issue as well. At the Philadelphia Park Racetrack in Bensalem last week, the first 100 of over 2,000 slot machines arrived for the racetrack’s first casino to mixed reviews from faithful patrons. In Chester, Harrah’s Chester opens at the Chester Downs Racetrack, also to mixed emotions.

Many feel that the racetracks should focus strictly on horse-betting and that the slots will take up too much space, or cause a distraction to other patrons attending horse races.

Some are excited about the opportunity to bet both on the races, as well as the slots. “If you’re losing here, you can go in and hit on the slots,” said Tom, 45, a courier from Northeast Philadelphia, according to the Inquirer.

With only a few spots left for investors to obtain gambling licenses, the heat is on in the Philadelphia area. As realtors, lawyers and big-time investors join together to compete for the spots, the stakes are high.

capaldot1@lasalle.edu