Philly Sports Stadiums Could Have Casino NeighborPossible Brick-And-Mortar Looks To Benefit From Game-Day Traffic |
|
Gamblers in the Philadelphia area will soon have another option to choose from, as another proposal for a second casino within the city limits recently came to light.
On Friday, Philly.com reported that two firms with gambling experience want to build a casino, which could cost up to $500 million, next to Citizens Bank Park, home to the Phillies baseball team, and Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Eagles football team.
The plan includes the acquisition of a Holiday Inn hotel, currently sitting on the block of land being eyed for the new casino.
Philadelphia already has one licensed gambling joint, the SugarHouse Casino on the Delaware River. However, Parx Casino and Harrah’s Chester Casino sit just outside the city.
Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment Inc., the firm which owns Parx, is behind the aforementioned casino proposal. The project would be completed under a partnership with a Baltimore-based company which owns one of Maryland’s casinos.
While there will be heavy traffic to the area during game days, some don’t think that sitting next to stadiums is all that valuable for the overall business. A gaming industry analyst told NJBIZ.com that a casino’s target customer isn’t actually a diehard sports fan.
Last week’s news came a couple weeks after another capitalist announced his proposal to build a $700 million casino about four miles north of the sports area.
The state’s Gaming Control Board has set a Nov. 15 deadline for proposal submissions and will then solicit comments on the plans before any possible approval.
“A key element in this process will be the collection by the Board of both oral and written comments from both supporters and opponents of each proposed project,” Board Chairman William Ryan said in a statement.
Pennsylvania currently has 11 licensed casino operations.
Earlier this year, the National Football League softened its stance on casino advertising, telling all 32 teams that it could accept money from such businesses.
Sports betting is illegal in the state of Pennsylvania.
(Photo of the proposed location via Google maps)
Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
