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More bad news for Harrah's
The news just got a little worse for Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack.
You might remember that just last week, the poobahs at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board were crowing about how revenue was up at six of the seven new slots parlors operating in the state.
Guess which one was down? You got it. Harrah’s, right there on the Delaware River in Chester. It was part of a somewhat alarming recent trend at the Chester slots operation, where revenue has been in decline since last summer. State Gaming Control Board figures show that while every other slots operation posted gains in March 2009 from the same month the year before, the action at Harrah’s was off 7 percent.
Now things are about to get even tougher for local slots parlors.
That’s because the seemingly endless process of putting two new slots operations in the city of Philadelphia looks like it is finally getting off the ground.
The folks at SugarHouse casino, which was awarded one of the two licenses for the city, this week announced a scaled-back plan to be located along the Delaware River. Today SugarHouse officials will present those plans to state regulators in Harrisburg.
Bottom line? It will be a smaller facility, but not necessarily any less of a threat to Harrah’s Chester operation. The smaller design has apparently wooed at least one former foe. City Councilman Frank DiCicco, who had led community opposition to the casino, now says he’s ready to get behind the project, in no small part because of its much-needed shot in the arm to a city bleeding red ink.
If SugarHouse gets the OK, they say they could have a temporary gaming facility up and running by the middle of 2010.
Foxwoods holds the city’s other gaming license, and after abandoning their own plans to local on the waterfront, they turned their eyes to a site in the Gallery shopping mall location in Center City. That plan drew almost as much protest as their original proposal. Now they’re looking at the old Strawbridge’s building in Center City. And get this, the Foxwoods folks say they want a facility open by the end of the year.
Community residents opposed to more legalizing gambling in the city also are headed to Harrisburg to make sure their voices are heard.
One thing is certain. The competition for gambling dollars is about to heat up. For Harrah’s, that is not the best of news.
You might remember that just last week, the poobahs at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board were crowing about how revenue was up at six of the seven new slots parlors operating in the state.
Guess which one was down? You got it. Harrah’s, right there on the Delaware River in Chester. It was part of a somewhat alarming recent trend at the Chester slots operation, where revenue has been in decline since last summer. State Gaming Control Board figures show that while every other slots operation posted gains in March 2009 from the same month the year before, the action at Harrah’s was off 7 percent.
Now things are about to get even tougher for local slots parlors.
That’s because the seemingly endless process of putting two new slots operations in the city of Philadelphia looks like it is finally getting off the ground.
The folks at SugarHouse casino, which was awarded one of the two licenses for the city, this week announced a scaled-back plan to be located along the Delaware River. Today SugarHouse officials will present those plans to state regulators in Harrisburg.
Bottom line? It will be a smaller facility, but not necessarily any less of a threat to Harrah’s Chester operation. The smaller design has apparently wooed at least one former foe. City Councilman Frank DiCicco, who had led community opposition to the casino, now says he’s ready to get behind the project, in no small part because of its much-needed shot in the arm to a city bleeding red ink.
If SugarHouse gets the OK, they say they could have a temporary gaming facility up and running by the middle of 2010.
Foxwoods holds the city’s other gaming license, and after abandoning their own plans to local on the waterfront, they turned their eyes to a site in the Gallery shopping mall location in Center City. That plan drew almost as much protest as their original proposal. Now they’re looking at the old Strawbridge’s building in Center City. And get this, the Foxwoods folks say they want a facility open by the end of the year.
Community residents opposed to more legalizing gambling in the city also are headed to Harrisburg to make sure their voices are heard.
One thing is certain. The competition for gambling dollars is about to heat up. For Harrah’s, that is not the best of news.
posted by Heron's Nest at
6:32 AM
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