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New Philly Casino Ignites Celebrations, Protests

Posted on September 22nd, 2010

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The new casino doing a dry run in Philadelphia is making a splash, considering it has been subject to much debate and opposition. A blackjack table is among the 40 table games in the facility, sparkling new slot machines, all 1,600 of them, and lamps in a cool blue hue decorate the gambling hall located at the foot of the Delaware River. The grand opening of the Sugar House Casino is not set until Thursday, but onlookers are already excited to experience first hand Philadelphia’s very first gambling facility, and all that is left for ceremonies is the ribbon cutting. It may seem that the casino is welcomed without opposition but in actuality, Sugar House casino has divided the city, with organizations formed in the neighborhoods and the city both for and against the construction of the casino.

One of the anti-casino organizations is the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, which added drama to the debate that transpired for months as the group even reached a decision to boycott a meeting with representatives of the casino. As of the moment, the neighborhood association is resigned to the outcome. Matt Ruben, the president of the group, claims, “There’s really nothing more we can do right now. It’s here. We’re going to closely monitor it, and hope the worst predictions of the impacts won’t come true.” On the other side, some sectors are bursting with pride with the casino’s opening. The casino will be open 24 hours every day, and is expected to welcome more or less two million visitors every year. With the projected visitor turnout is the expected influx of millions in casino income. The body assigned to disburse revenue from the casino to the areas of Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and parts of Kensington is the Penn Treaty Special Services District. The organization’s chairman, Joe Rafter cannot hide his positive reaction to the upcoming opening, saying the whole body is excited.

The casino had already made an initial payment of $175,000 for the year. The projects that benefited from the money covered a wide array of sectors, including close to 24 organizations with involvement in arts, schools, sports and veterans affairs. One such organization is the Hetzell Playground, which was allocated $61,000. this was put into use by the facility for laying sod and having a sprinkler system, enhancing the look of the playground. Once the casino becomes operational, a full year of funds will be funneled to these organizations, amounting to $1 million for every 12 months. Other than the windfall of funds to these organizations, Rafter claims that the casino has also aided in the creation of new employment opportunities for the residents of the area. At least twenty percent of the 800 full-time gambling hall jobs have gone to locals of the district, which may not be much, but is still a huge help in easing unemployment.

The fanfare surrounding the casino’s Thursday opening feels more like a funeral for groups that have tirelessly dedicated themselves to stopping the casino from being realized. The celebrations to happen on North Delaware Avenue, on the border of Fishtown and Northern Liberties in the coming days will be something they will most certainly not join. On Monday, a candlelight memorial service was spearheaded by Casino-Free Philadelphia, as the group claims that there will be people who will end up losing all their savings in this casino. Aside from its efforts to stop the Sugar House Casino, Casino-Free Philadelphia is also lobbying for the stoppage of a plan to construct another casino in Philadelphia. The group argues that gambling is a business that can be classified as “predatory” in the sense that it makes the situation of crime, domestic violence, poverty and traffic poorer in areas where they are built.

The group’s spokesman, Dan Hajdo says, “It’s opening, and we had a lot of members expressing a sense of loss after fighting for such a long time.” As of the moment, his group is planning on pushing for a campaign that would weaken the earnings of the casino by making issues such as gambling addiction more known to the residents of the areas who are expected to be regular customers of the casino.