UPDATE: Do you want a casino at 10th and Packer? It could happen.
BREAKING: The Inquirer reports that that Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board awarded the second casino license to the Live! Hotel and Casino proposal this afternoon at a public meeting held at the Convention Center. The site is located at 900 Packer Ave. near the Sports Complex and will be developed by Cordish Cos. (Xfinity Live!) and Greenwood Gaming (Parx Casino).
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced on Friday that they would be holding a public meeting on Nov. 18 to award Philly’s long-awaited second casino license.
The rumor mill is churning and sources tell The Inquirer that the front runner of the four proposals is the Live! Hotel & Casino concept at the Holiday Inn site at 900 Packer Ave. The proposal is a joint venture between Cordish Co., owners and operator of nearby Xfinity Live!, and Greenwood Gaming, owner of Parx Casino in Bensalem. Weigh in: Do you want a casino in at 10th and Packer Ave. in South Philadelphia?
The $425M Live! proposal calls for 2,000 slot machines and 125 tables games. From The Inquirer:
Two sources, one with an extensive political background and the other highly knowledgeable about the casino industry and its workings, indicated that Live! would win the second license. Neither would speak on the record.
The public meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. and will be held in room 201 at the Convention Center at 1101 Arch St. The PA Gaming Control Board will also stream the meeting online via their website.
The nearby Stadium District community will hold a meeting at Stella Maris Church on Wed. Nov 12 starting at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed casino. A flier is currently being circulated to note the sudden location change, as the original meeting was scheduled the event space at the Holiday Inn.
Here’s the flier, which states “Holiday Inn cancelled the contracted meeting location! Coincidence??? No Way!!!”:
Anti-Casino rally Nov 12! URGENT!!! NOV 12th 6:30 pic.twitter.com/YU3bMcFhua
— Barbara Capozzi (@Barbara_Capozzi) November 7, 2014
There are four proposals vying for the second casino license:
- Tower Entertainment, LLC (The Provence) at 400 North Broad Street
- Market East Associates, LP (Market 8 Casino) at 8th and Market Street
- PHL Local Gaming, LLC (Casino Revolution) at 3333 South Front Street
- Stadium Casino, LLC (Live! Hotel and Casino) at 900 Packer Avenue
For what it’s worth, here’s what PHL Local Gaming said regarding community opposition and their proposal for Front and Pattison:
“If that community opposition to the Live! Philadelphia is valid, then that would mean that three of the four applicants have significant local opposition,” said A. Bruce Crawley. “PHL Local Gaming, by contrast, has no significant local community opposition and [has] the endorsement of the leading civic organization in the area,” he said.
It’s also worth noting that this license was originally awarded to Foxwoods to build a casino in another part of South Philadelphia, at Columbus Blvd. and Reed St. in Pennsport. It was revoked in 2010 and Bart Blatstein, part of the team behind The Provence casino proposal, now owns the property. Rest assured, this will all get very interesting, starting with the meeting on Nov. 12. In the meantime, take the poll to weigh in on the subject.
[yop_poll id=”15″]
Great idea, as long as they provide plenty of parking.
Somebody loves me… Keep it up with the fake posts…
Its actually a horrible idea… No need for a casino in an already saturated market for gambling offerings…
Blech, I don’t think Philly needs a 2nd casino. And if they must have one – at least put it on Market where it might actually generate some money from tourists and conventioneers.
AGREE!!!
Kinda indifferent about the location. The only downside is that it will make auto traffic pretty gnarly down there. Also, its just far enough away from the Pattison stop to be a not pleasant walk. Distance-wise its not far, but its an awful walk through the parking lot.
Also not convinced we need a second casino… not real thrilled with having a first casino. We’re not Vegas. No one is traveling to Philadelphia to gamble so the money is coming out of our own pockets anyway. As a friend of mine once said, like a tax on people who don’t know probability.
That said, since it doesn’t seem like the area will ever be a neighborhood… may as well keep the “entertainment” stuff down there. The regulations against parking and the stadium services district are already in place to help take care of the folks who live on the other side of the 76 wall.
Keep it out of Center City. Vibrant, economically healthy U.S. cities (San Fran, Chicago, New York, Boston, Portland, Seattle) don’t tend to have casinos in their downtowns while shady, struggling cities (New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore) do. Sure… the casinos don’t cause the difficulties; they are often a result. But I’d like to avoid Center City looking more like Hill Valley from Back to the Future II.
Agree
You didn’t need to make a fake post.. I actually do agree.. No need for another casino.
Yup, all of this.
Do you really think the “regulations” help the people around here??? You’re insane. My son goes to the school right there and we live two blocks away. I do not want drunks hookers prostitutes and all the other scum that follow casinos around my home or my child’s school! We have enough idiots walking through the neighborhood parking just a block away because there are no parking regulations there. They are loud and obnoxious going and even worse coming back because now they’re drunk high and whatever else. Put it in center city! See how quick the suits get rid of it.
The only thing worse than a casino near the stadiums is one in Center City.
I’m opposed to a new casino in general — but it will be built, we all know that. Building it near the stadiums will earn revenue from out-of-towners visiting for events. Much better than building it within spitting distance of Chinatown, which is cruel to the community and an eyesore for our beautiful city. What — do they expect conference attendees in the convention center to spend their free time gambling?
Casino + Olive Garden!!!
Fake
OLIVE GARDEN IS SLOP AND THEY GET THEIR GRAVY SHIPPED TO THEIR LOCATIONS IN A PLASTIC BAG! AnthonyG must love Olive Garden and just makes fake posts under my name.
I despise the idea of any casinos in this city, but if there’s absolutely no way we can avoid a second one, then I definitely would rather it be at 900 Packer or, even more preferably, at 3333 S. Front St. Having one at of the other 2 locations way downtown is just a horrendous idea that would ruin those surrounding areas. At least with the 2 South Philly choices (and I’m a SP resident too), theyre basically away from residences and are in crappy enough spots that hopefully they wont survive for long.
900 Packer is a bad choice. The residents south of Oregon have had to deal with the many problems caused by the stadium attendees, especially the parking problems. Sure, the city provides extra police/parking employees on game days to issue tickets to game attendees parking in residential areas. But the residents are still inconvenienced.
No more casinos. Anywhere.
I don’t get it. Are casinos so profitable that more are needed, especially in light of the failures in Atlantic City?
If one is in the cards I’d like to see it in Center City, around 8th & Market, perhaps in the lot once occupied by Gimbels. And it should include other entertainment venues such as a movie theater. At least it would be easily accessible by mass transit.
Nope. In fact, it’s a wonder there aren’t representatives from Jersey over here fighting this tooth and nail. More casinos in Philly = fewer gamblers in AC. A new casino will also just take people away from Sugarhouse and Harrah’s, so they’ll be cannibalizing each other’s business.
Exactly SC. At least if it’s in town it might get visitor/tourist traffic which may keep it profitable. I don’t think many tourists will be making Packer Avenue a “must see” destination.
I heard a Disney Quest is going where the old Gimbel’s used to be.
Prediction: no matter where it/they are located, we’ll be tearing them down in less than 30 years.
Prediction: Your 30 year predictions are worthless
The directors should have called an urgent meeting back in March! They are claiming that they have done everything to stop it this? The only thing they talk about at the Community meetings that are held every three months are about the plants and flowers that are going to be planted. The first Notification the stadium district community received was 12 days before the gaming control boards decision. The first public meeting was held 5 days before the gaming control boards decision. Hummm…. Now (the directors) they want to put up a fight when the battle was already fixed!
huh?
He has a point… Don’t be oblivious…
In addition to being the wrong location, there is no reason to trust Cordish as to anything it represents it will do, or operate.
It proposed a grand, block long plaza center having a hotel, inside retail stores, and restaurants –all with beautiful renderings. Yet what did they build? Xfinity Live –A 3500-person nightclub, with borderline stripper waitresses, complete with underage drinking. A great family place and benefit to the area (he says sarcastically).
Agreed Nick…
If the tax revenue went to schools and not just to lowering the property tax of businesses (not homeowners) then yes, but since that won’t happen, no.
Now here is an interesting accusation: http://www.philadelinquency.com/2014/11/17/pdq-email-bag-explosive-charges-made-south-phila-casino-opponents/