Foxwoods And Sugarhouse May Finally Get Off Ground
Written on 28 May 2008 by admin
Foxwoods may finally be able to break ground this summer as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has decided not to review its April 2 ruling that was in favor of the casino being built. After seventeen months of court battles after the sites and contractors were selected, this last hurdle may finally have been cleared. The company that is developing the casino can now go ahead and begin applying for building permits. The word on whether or not Foxwoods and Sugarhouse can use riverbed land, however, is still out.
“I think the chances are absolutely nil that the city or any unsatisfied [officials] could delay things on the state level,” said Joseph Kelly. A law expert that specializes in gaming at Buffalo State University, Kelly has stated that the language used in the court ruling pretty much keeps the city officials from blocking the two casino projects. Of course there are some local officials who do not agree with Kelly’s assessment.
The Mayor, Michael Nutter agrees that Foxwoods’ legal and litigation issues may be over, but he feels that there are plenty of things the casino’s owners and developers still have to contend with. The newest issue that Nutter and city councilman Frank DiCicco believe Foxwoods is going to have deal with is how the casinos will affect traffic in South Philadelphia.
Sugarhouse, on the other, may have a longer wait before being able to break ground. According to spokesperson Leigh Whitaker, Sugarhouse may have a hard time getting building permits from the Army Corps of Engineers because the land that the casino is supposed to be built upon contains the remnants of a historic British fort. They are currently working through those concerns, but they may be looking at a new location before all is said and done.
Of course, the two casinos are still fighting with residents who would prefer not to have the establishments close to their homes. They are starting to run out of blocking options, however, thanks to the ruling from the state’s Supreme Court. The lack of the city being able to do anything to stop them has effectively stopped the rest of the citizenry. The city is required to give them the necessary zoning.
Casino-Free Philadelphia, an organization that has been fighting casinos in the area, stated, “Politically, these things are in the worst shape they’ve ever been. It’s up to the citizens of Philadelphia to use that opening.”
Daniel Hunter, who is the head of the group, is not sure what they are going to do next to stop the casinos being constructed.
Tags: casino projects, FoxwoodsRelated posts
UK Casino Plans In Shambles
Written on 3 May 2008 by admin
The government of the United Kingdom may have egg on its face thanks to their established casino laws that has potential bidders for sixteen new casinos walking away from the legal process just as about the framework the for the businesses are being finalized. Aspers, Gala, Stanley Leisure, Ladbrokes, Genting and Rank have either cut back, or even abandoned, their plans to bid on new licenses for their planned casinos.
Part of the issue is that tax changes and the lack of interest in joining up are causing the businesses to back away. They feel that the enthusiasm that was behind the casinos that was once there has faded and all of their plans have gone up in smoke. The Casino Advisory Panel did an 18-month process run that cost £400,000 in 2007 that made another casino axe their plans for a super casino and the Casino Location Order is due to go before the House of Lords in a few weeks that could become law. The 16 licenses were originally created in response to the gambling laws that were shaken up by the report in the hope to generate jobs and boost the gaming industry. Part of this plan was going to increase the amount of slot machines currently in place. Now even this is in danger.
Aspers’ boss claims that they would bid for only four of the five licenses originally planned and much of the international interest – such as America’s MGM Mirage – has waned. With the MGM Mirage’s lay off of 400 employees, it is seriously doubtful that even if things change they will now get involved in building a British casino. It’s apparent that the commercial viability is gone and with the government taxing twenty-four pence of every pound that is earned, the companies are backing away because the government has now become the biggest shareholders of UK casinos.
The industry may become even weaker if advertising rights are taken away. Plus, the sixteen proposed casinos are going to be located in industrial towns. These places were chosen to help regenerate the economy. Unfortunately industry pundits feel that these locations will cause more problems for casinos that are already established.
With the American economy going down the tubes, the effect is being felt worldwide. This is where much of the interest is waning as people are finding that they have less disposable cash. Whether or not the sixteen casinos actually become reality remains to be seen and the Casino Location Order may have a big factor in the company’s decisions to proceed.
Tags: casino advisory panel, casino location, gaming industry, mgm mirage, uk casinos