Pressure On SugarHouse Casino To Bring Gambling To Philadelphia

While residents in the rest of Pennsylvania are excited about the prospects of table game gambling, Philadelphia residents are still waiting just to have one of their two casino projects finished. The SugarHouse Casino project looks like the one that will be completed first.

Recently, casino tycoon Steve Wynn decided abruptly to pull out of his arrangement to take over the Foxwoods casino project. Negotiations were ongoing, and it is unknown if the negotiations stalled, or if Wynn simply decided he no longer had interest in the project.

That comes at a time when Pennsylvania is preparing for major casino expansion. Table games were legalized by lawmakers earlier this year, and many casinos in the state are expecting to have the game up and running for customers by the summer.

Philadelphia has proven to be a tough city to do business with for both casino projects. The SugarHouse project has been delayed several times for various reasons. Among the most important issues is a resistance from residents who do not want the casino built. That has caused the city to move slowly in approving permits necessary for construction.

Billionaire Neil Bluhm has been the money behind the SugarHouse project, and the developers are hoping that a temporary facility will be up and running by the end of 2010. The Foxwoods project, meanwhile, has been put on hold after Wynn backed out of the deal.

In December of 2009, Pennsylvania casinos had higher slot revenue than Atlantic City casinos for the first time in history. The casinos are planning on riding that momentum once the table games are installed. The state believes they can surpass New Jersey as the casino gambling capital of the East Coast in the near future.

April 18, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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