Casino-Free Philadelphia: Combined Feed

Why I fight casinos

Ivan — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:12:51 +0000

I joined Casino-Free Philadelphia in the fall of 2008 — I may seem experienced to some of you, and a newcomer to others.

I got involved because my friends and neighbors asked me, and I suspect that many of you also joined because other folks you knew were involved. For a couple of years, I had seen the creative, effective campaigns of Casino-Free Philly hold off a seemingly invincible foe, one that had what looked like all the levers of power allied behind it.

Three years later, I've seen Casino-Free have some big successes, and fall short in other places. Yet at its core, it's been this network of friends and neighbors propelling the organization forward.

I've acted as a volunteer, a part-time staffer, a campaign planner, a direct action trainer, Thomas Jefferson declaring independence from casinos, a painter-of-signs and a driver-of-cars-to-Harrisburg.

But more than anything, I've been a part of a community, you and me and an organization that became more than the sum of its parts.

We have a fantastic campaign in the form of fighting quicksand credit at SugarHouse, and keeping an eye on whatever might become of the Foxwoods site — but we need your support to get to where we need to be in 2012.

Please join me in making a year-end, tax-deductible donation to Casino-Free Philly.

You've probably noticed that in the past few months, Casino-Free has been somewhat quiet. Unfortunately, we've struggled with finding the necessary resources to continue campaigning at the level that we'd have liked.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Casino-Free today, and help us build for more victories in 2012!

Anyone who's been involved in Casino-Free knows it's the community that makes us tick. Our campaigns are your campaigns, pushed forward by your creativity and courage. That's why it feels like I'm short-changing you by asking for what we really need right now — a little funding to help us pay our bills.

So please know that Casino-Free Philly not only values but is defined by all the love and dedication you put into this fight. But, quiet plainly, in these tough times, it's been tough for us too. We are now a fully volunteer organization — and volunteers have been our core from the beginning — but there are still a few bills that need to be paid.

Can you chip in a year-end contribution to help us build for 2012? Even $10 will help.

Coming early in 2012, we'll let you know about community meetings to flesh out our campaign fighting quicksand credit — and I hope to see you there!

—Ivan Boothe, volunteer, trainer, "founding father," van-driver, etc., Casino-Free Philadelphia

P.S. If you want your tax-deductible donation to count for 2011 purposes, be sure to make an online donation before the end of Saturday! You may also mail us a donation by check to Casino-Free Philadelphia, 714 Market Street, Suite 3, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Donations postmarked by Dec. 31 may be counted as part of your 2011 tax-deductible contributions.

12/14/11 - Foxwoods files appeal to Pa. high court to save casino project

Tom — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:45:14 +0000

http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-14/business/30516335_1_philadelphia-entertain...

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

11/11/11 - State court upholds yanking of S. Philly casino license

Tom — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:43:43 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/133660818.html

Source:

Philadelphia Daily News

Occupy casinos?

Casino-Free Philly — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:58:58 +0000

The past several weeks have seen an exciting movement for economic justice being born. Beginning with Occupy Wall Street and continuing with Occupy Philly and other cities, individuals have taken to the streets to talk about the corrosive influence of corporations on our politics and society, and begin to build ways to push city and state officials to prioritize human needs.

As a part of Casino-Free Philadelphia, you have experience in pushing for economic justice in our city. And we in Philadelphia have "occupied" casinos — sometimes literally! — in an ongoing struggle against their predatory industry.

While the action planning working group continues to work on events for our campaign against Quicksand Credit (see below for more), we'd like to invite you to join us at Occupy Philadelphia in the coming week, to bring new people into the fight, and connect our struggle for community self-determination and economic justice with those happening across Philly.

This Sunday: Prioritizing the city's budget

Occupy Philadelphia will be hosting a forum for community groups across the city to talk about the unjust expenditures the city undertakes — underwriting corporate expansion, funding the hidden costs of private development (like casinos!) and privileging the voices of wealthy investors over city residents. We'll get to hear from one another, learn from one another, and engage participants of Occupy Philadelphia, who are eager to get involved with the struggles for economic justice happening all around us.

Casino-Free Philadelphia will be there, sharing our successes and our continuing fight. Please join us, and invite your friends!

What's your vision for our city?
Sunday, Nov. 6, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
City Hall, 15th & Market Streets
View map and more info | View on Facebook

Next Friday: Fighting casinos as a model for economic justice campaigns

This fun, interactive workshop will explore the ways Casino-Free Philly has waged successful campaigns for economic justice in Philadelphia — and the challenges we continue to face in our ongoing struggle.

This will primarily be a way to bring new individuals into the fight against casinos and Quicksand Credit, but everyone is invited. We promise you'll have fun! And if you have friends or neighbors who have been wondering about the issue — or wondering whether it's worth it to keep fighting casinos when one is already open — please encourage them to attend!

Fighting casino capitalism: An interactive workshop on successful economic justice campaigns
Friday, Nov. 11, 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
City Hall, 15th & Market Streets
View map and more info | View on Facebook

Upcoming actions against SugarHouse and Foxwoods to be announced

Finally, we are still digging in to fight against Quicksand Credit at SugarHouse. We'll be announcing new actions in the coming weeks and, if you're anxious to get involved sooner, keep an eye out for an email in the next week announcing action planning meetings.

If you'd like to help support the work Casino-Free is doing fighting casinos and connecting our struggle with economic justice issues at Occupy Philly and elsewhere, we'd greatly appreciate a donation to Casino-Free Philly. Thank you for all of your support!

Interactive workshop: Fighting casinos as a model for economic justice campaigns

Casino-Free Philly — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:41:36 +0000

Friday, November 11, 2011 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Location

Occupy Philadelphia at City Hall

15th Street & Market Street

Philadelphia, PA

This fun, interactive workshop will explore the ways Casino-Free Philly has waged successful campaigns for economic justice in Philadelphia -- and the challenges we continue to face in our ongoing struggle.

This will primarily be a way to bring new individuals into the fight against casinos and Quicksand Credit, but everyone is invited. We promise you'll have fun! And if you have friends or neighbors who have been wondering about the issue -- or wondering whether it's worth it to keep fighting casinos when one is already open -- please encourage them to attend!

View this event and RSVP on Facebook.

Forum: Prioritizing the city's budget

Casino-Free Philly — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:50:50 +0000

Sunday, November 6, 2011 - 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Location

Occupy Philadelphia at City Hall

15th Street & Market Street

Philadelphia, PA

Occupy Philadelphia will be hosting a forum for community groups across the city to talk about the unjust expenditures the city undertakes — underwriting corporate expansion, funding the hidden costs of private development (like casinos!) and privileging the voices of wealthy investors over city residents. We'll get to hear from one another, learn from one another, and engage participants in Occupy Philadelphia, who are eager to get involved with some of the struggles for economic justice happening all around us.

Casino-Free Philadelphia will be there, sharing our successes and our continuing fight. Please join us, and invite your friends!

10/12/11 - Opinion: Gambling money I don't need

Tom — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:42:20 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20111012_Gambling_money_I_don_t_need.html

Source:

philly.com

09/26/11 - Inquirer Editorial: Don't need another casino

Tom — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:11:46 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20110926_Inquirer_Editorial__Don_t_need_ano...

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

09/25/11- From Pennsylvania, a cautionary tale of casino profits trailed by corruption

Tom — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:53:30 +0000

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/09/25/for_massachus...

Source:

The Boston Globe

09/25/11 - SugarHouse has growing pains

Tom — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:40:00 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20110925_Philadelphia_s_year-old_SugarHous...

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Rain or shine, we'll stand against predatory gambling tomorrow

Casino-Free Philly — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:00:30 +0000

Looks like it's going to rain on SugarHouse's parade tomorrow, but that doesn't change our plans to be there at their anniversary "celebration," pushing for them to end predatory practices like quicksand credit.

We are still meeting at 2pm tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 24, at our office — 714 Market Street. Read all the details about the event.

Will you be joining us?

Read more about the event.

See you tomorrow, rain or shine!

09/21/11 - Anti-casino group says Philadelphia is losing at SugarHouse

Tom — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:34:31 +0000

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/26896

Source:

Newsworks

Cobbs Creek Casino? Bala Cynwyd Slots?

Casino-Free Philly — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:53:58 +0000

We were moments away from posting about the new report Casino-Free Philly released yesterday on the impact of the casino after one year in operation. But then this came across our desk:

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer,

Even though the Philadelphia region will open its fourth casino in Valley Forge, a state-commissioned study says there is room for one more gaming place for either City Avenue or West Philadelphia.

Seriously? Haven't we learned our lesson from the first casino? Tens of millions of dollars have been sent to wealthy out-of-state investors, and Philadelphians have lost ten dollars at the casino for every one dollar in benefits we get.

This is why we have to keep fighting.

This weekend, we are going to SugarHouse to tell them to shut down quicksand credit. By showing up at SugarHouse, we're not only forcing them to end their predatory practices, but we're proving to any future casino investors that they shouldn't mess with us, because we will not back down until predatory casinos are gone from our city.

Will you join us Saturday? You can RSVP now, so we know how many materials to prepare.

Can't make it? Then please make a donation to help us keep up the fight. It's clear that the threat of a second casino isn't going away, and we need the resources to be there to fight it every step of the way, just like we did with Foxwoods. Every dollar helps!

Finally, you can read more about the impact of the casino in our report, Pennsylvania bets, Philadelphia loses. Please share it with your friends!

Together, we can end this assault on Philadelphia citizens, once and for all.

Thank you for staying involved!

Costs of Casino Detailed in Casino-Free Philadelphia Briefing

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:03:56 +0000

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephilly [dot] org, (267) 971-0937; Kaytee Riek, kaytee [at] CasinoFreePhilly [dot] org, 267-334-6984

PHILADELPHIA, September 20, 2011

Nearly one year after SugarHouse casino opened, a briefing released by Casino-Free Philadelphia shows the costs to city residents in financial loss, personal indebtedness, and crime outweigh the benefits by 10 to 1.

"The numbers show a clear loss for Philadelphia and its residents," said Kaytee Riek, director of Casino-Free Philadelphia. "SugarHouse has done nothing more than siphon money out of the city to send to Chicago investors, and left Philly residents and the city to clean up the mess," Riek said.

View Casino-Free Philadelphia's report on SugarHouse.

The report shows that people have lost over $232 million at SugarHouse through August. Philadelphia gained a little over $10 million in taxes and other revenue, while their investors have made more than $54 million in profit.

"Especially considering half the losses come from Philadelphia residents alone, SugarHouse hasn't brought in as much new revenue as was promised. It's merely redistributed the money from low and middle class people of Philadelphia to extremely rich people in Chicago and elsewhere," said Riek.

In addition, the briefing points out that as many as 500 SugarHouse visitors received "quicksand credit," or credit issued by the casino only 30 minutes after a gambler requests it for as much as double what's in a gambler's bank account.

Jobs at SugarHouse are non-union, and have gone disproportionately to white males. Meanwhile, the number of jobs lost through displacement is unknown although Fredrick Murphy of Temple University estimates as many as 3.5 jobs would be lost for every one job created by SugarHouse.

Ninety-four instances of crimes have occurred on or near SugarHouse, an area that was once a vacant lot with little crime.

The briefing notes as well that the long-term costs of SugarHouse, including increased rates of addiction, bankruptcies, embezzlement, and suicide, are still unknown.

"The real costs of SugarHouse fall under the radar and fall most heavily on those suffering from Pathological and Problem Gambling and on their families," said Dan Hajdo, board member of Casino-Free Philadelphia. "Those costs, which are disproportionately experienced by minorities and low-income households, can't be added up easily. And they can't be justified at all," said Hajdo.

Read the SugarHouse one-year report from Casino-Free Philadelphia.

Casino-Free Philadelphia's mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. The social and economic costs of predatory gambling are plainly apparent from an industry reliant on addiction to survive. Visit us online at www.CasinoFreePhilly.org.

###

SugarHouse Year One: Pennsylvania bets, Philadelphia loses

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:52:38 +0000

A briefing on the impact of SugarHouse on our city after one year, by the numbers. You can also download a printable PDF of this information.

Financial Losses

$232,034,168	Total amount that people have lost at SugarHouse since opening (through the end of August) [1]
$116,017,084	Total gambling losses by Philadelphia residents (through the end of August) [2]
$11,479,868	Total tax and fee revenue to city from SugarHouse (includes LSA and state taxes) [3]
10:1	Ratio of gambling loss for city residents vs. revenue to city [4]

Investor Profit

$54,185,333	Profit for all investors in SugarHouse [5]
$34,136,759	Profit for Chicago investors Neil Bluhm and Greg Carlin [6]

Personal Indebtedness

500	Approx. number of people who have relied on the contents of their bank account to take out lines of quicksand credit [7]
$250,000	Total amount of quicksand credit SugarHouse has extended to patrons at minimum [8]
3–5	Visits to SugarHouse per week by a “large percentage” of its customers [9]
20	Percentage of compulsive gamblers who declare bankruptcy as a result of gambling losses [10]
Unknown	Number of bankruptcies of people who lost the contents of their bank accounts because they took out a line of quicksand credit and lost [11]

Crime

500	Security cameras at SugarHouse [12]
24	Hours of each day that State Police patrol SugarHouse [12]
2	Crimes committed on or adjacent to SugarHouse property each week, on average, [13] not including off-property crimes such as the pistol-whipping of a customer who was followed to his home in NJ [14]
Unknown	Number of people embezzling from their employers in order to gamble [15] (in western PA, according to court records, at least five people have recently been convicted of embezzling over $1.5 million for the purpose of gambling [16])

Jobs

1,008	Jobs created by SugarHouse, as of June [17]
Unknown	Number of jobs displaced by SugarHouse [18] (one estimate: 3.5 jobs lost per casino job gained [19])
66, 64	Percentage of jobs at SugarHouse held by white people and men, respectively [17]
41, 47.2	Percentage of Philadelphians who are white people and men, respectively [20]
0	Union jobs created [21]
7.8	Percentage of SugarHouse’s budget spent on suppliers that went to minority- or women-owned businesses in the first quarter of 2011 [17]

Sources

By necessity, we've used certain assumptions and estimates, all of which are explained here. As a matter of public policy we urge the Pennsylvania Gaming Conrol Board (PGCB) and SugarHouse to release the data they have.

Through August 2011, according to PGCB. Total revenue slots/tables comes from PGCB Monthly Slot Gaming Revenues wagers grand total minus payouts grand total plus Monthly Table Gaming Gross Revenue Grand Total.
Assumes half of Sugarhouse customers are Philadelphia residents. SugarHouse has this information but has not made it public. A variety of marketing surveys and background materials, as well as the presence of casinos in nearby suburbs, indicate that SugarHouse’s patrons are more likely than not to be Philadelphians, but SugarHouse has not made that information public. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that "The casino draws heavily from nearby Chinatown and attracts a broad cross-section of customers from North, South, and West Philadelphia and South Jersey, who come from within a 12-mile radius," [SugarHouse General Manager Wendy] Hamilton said .
Total Local Share Assessment (LSA) ($7,066,039), according to the PGCB Monthly Slot Gaming Revenues plus Monthly Table Gaming Revenues plus total SugarHouse State tax money that comes to Philadelphia residents as wage tax reduction ($3,413,829), plus Special Services District donatons ($1,000,000, according to SugarHouse). The total wage tax reduction for Philadelphia from all Pennsylvania casinos is $86.3 million. SugarHouse taxes comprise 6.9% of tax revenue from casinos to the State, according to the PGCB, so SugarHouse contributed 6.9% of Philadelphia’s wage tax reduction. However, not all of the wage tax reduction goes to Philadelphia residents; of the $1.148 billion in wage taxes collected in FY 2010-11, 57.33% came from residents of Philadelphia. City of Philadelphia Comprehensive Annual Report 2010 (PDF), p165.
Total lost at SugarHouse by Philadelphians according to PGCB (assuming half of the gamblers at SugarHouse are Philadelphia residents as above), compared to Local Share Assessment that goes to the City plus wage tax reduction for Philadelphia residents.
Estimated, based on Casino Operations Management (2nd edition, p179) by Jim Kilby, Jim Fox and Anthony Lucas: "…the profit margins that a typical large casino might experience" are slots 60%–70% and table games 15%–20%." SugarHouse had a post-tax gross revenue for slots of $77,965,710.39; based on industry averages, at least 60% of that post-tax gross revenue is profit for investors. Similarly, SugarHouse had a post-tax gross revenue for tables of $49,372,708.56; based on industry averages, at least 15% of that post-tax gross revenue is profit for the investors.
62.9% of the total profit made at SugarHouse. Bluhm and Carlin combined own 62.9% of SugarHouse. PGCB Ownership Interests Report (PDF), August 23, 2011.
SugarHouse Casino Executive stated in private meeting that approximately 500 lines of credit have been given out to patrons.
The minimum credit line is $500, according to SugarHouse officials, so the actual total can be assumed to be much higher than $250,000, but SugarHouse has not provided an actual total.
Public statement by SugarHouse General Manager Wendy Hamilton, to the Pennsylvania Gaming Congress, on March 22, 2011.
Several state studies have concluded that 20% or more of compulsive gamblers were forced to file for bankruptcy protection because of losses they incurred. "The Personal Bankruptcy Crisis, 1997," SMR Research Corporation, Hackettstown, NJ, p118.
SugarHouse has not provided data on quicksand credit default rates.
Philadelphia Inquirer, “Robbery in SugarHouse parking lot defeated tight security”, Nov. 14, 2010.
Uniform Crime Report for October 2010 to August 2011 for the SugarHouse Gaming Enforcement Division of the PA State Police (75 incidents), plus crimes reported to the Philadelphia Police Department from October 2010 to August 2011 on the 1000 block of North Delaware Avenue (19 incidents) (via www.crimereports.com).
WPVI Channel 6 ABC Action News, “SugarHouse Casino winner attacked near home”, October 18, 2010.
In a survey of nearly 400 members of Gamblers Anonymous, 57% admitted stealing to finance their gambling. On average these 400 people stole $135,000 and their total theft was over $30 million. Lesieur H., "Costs and treatment of pathological gambling." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 556: pp153–171. 1998. Download (PDF).
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "Gambling addiction leads many down criminal road," June 19, 2011.
Philadelphia Citypaper, “Pa. Gaming Control Board says SugarHouse diversity numbers 'very disappointing'," June 16, 2011.
"The employment effects of casino gaming ... could be positive or negative depending upon the degree to which casino gaming substitutes for or complements consumption at other local businesses." "Casino Gaming and Local Employment Trends", Thomas A. Garrett, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, January/February 2004, 86(1), pp9-22. Download (PDF).
Economic Impact of the SugarHouse and Foxwoods Slot Parlors Proposed for Philadelphia, Frederic H. Murphy, Fox School of Business and Management, Temple University, 2007.
2010 US Census, Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Citypaper, "SugarHouse casino workers announce intention to unionize," August 5, 2011.

SugarHouse one-year anniversary: Push back!

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:19:24 +0000

One year ago this Friday, SugarHouse casino opened to the public. In that time:

Individuals have lost well over $232 million at the slots and table games.¹
SugarHouse investors have made more than $54 million in profit.²
Philadelphia, on the other hand, has seen residents lose eleven times more money at the casino than the city has received in tax and fee revenue.³
At least $250,000 in quicksand credit has been extended to patrons.⁴
Ninety-four crimes have been committed on or adjacent to SugarHouse property.⁵
Jobs at SugarHouse have been given disproportionately to men and white people.⁶

Are you ready to push back? Then join us on Saturday, Sept. 24 to roll out our new campaign to protect our neighbors from quicksand credit. RSVP for the event now.

Are you ready to push back against SugarHouse for continuing to prey on our neighbors?

Join us Saturday, Sept. 24!

Let us know you'll be there.

Sept. 24 schedule:

2pm: Meet at the office (714 Market St) for a pre-action training. Required.

3pm: Head to SugarHouse together (1001 N. Delaware Ave). Transportation provided.

3:30pm: Arrive at SugarHouse to stage our action.

4:30pm: Return to office to debrief.

We will be there at the same time SugarHouse is throwing a "block party" to celebrate "year won" (yep, they're really calling it that), and launch our new campaign to force them to end quicksand credit. We will be posting warning signs about quicksand credit around the neighborhood and at the casino, and encouraging people to avoid taking out lines of credit because they might get stuck in quicksand.

Let's show SugarHouse investors (as well as any future casino investors) that we will continue to demand an end to predatory gambling in our city even more forcefully now that a predatory casino is open in Philadelphia.

Sign up to join us here!

We need an accurate count of how many people will be joining us on Saturday, so we can get enough supplies. So please RSVP now. Thank you!

See you on Saturday!

Sources for the statistics cited above are listed in detail in our report on SugarHouse's first year.

SugarHouse One Year Anniversary: Push Back!

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:15:47 +0000

Saturday, September 24, 2011 - 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location

Meet at Casino-Free's office

714 Market St Inside the building, third door on the right

Philadelphia, PA

SugarHouse is preying on our communities, and we are pushing back! Join us as we launch our new campaign to take down quicksand credit, on the anniversary of SugarHouse's opening.

One year ago this Friday, SugarHouse casino opened to the public. In that time:

Individuals have lost well over $232 million at the slots and table games. [1]
SugarHouse investors have made more than $54 million in profit. [2]
Philadelphia, on the other hand, has seen residents lose eleven times more money at the casino than the City has received in tax and fee revenue. [3]
At least $250,000 in quicksand credit has been extended to patrons.[4]
Ninety-four crimes have been committed on or adjacent to SugarHouse property. [5]
Jobs at SugarHouse have been given disproportionately to men and white people. [6]

Are you ready to push back? Then join us on September 24th to roll out our new campaign to protect our neighbors from quicksand credit. Sign up below to join us!

Sept 24th Schedule:

2pm - Meet at the office (714 Market St) for a pre-action training. Required.

3pm - Head to SugarHouse together (1001 N. Delaware Ave) -transportation provided

3:30pm - Arrive at SugarHouse to stage our action

4:30pm - Return to office to debrief

Sources:

[1] Through August 2011, according to the PGCB. Total revenue slots/tables comes from PGCB Monthly Slot Gaming Revenues wagers grand total minus payouts grand total, plus Monthly Table Gaming Gross Revenue Grand Total

[2] Estimated, based on Casino Operations Management (2nd edition, page 179) by Jim Kilby, Jim Fox and Anthony Lucas: "…the profit margins that a typical large casino might experience" are slots 60%-70% and table games 15%-20%.” SugarHouse had a post-tax gross revenue for slots of $77,965,710.39, and, based on industry average, at least 60% of that post-tax gross revenue is profit for investors. Similarly, SugarHouse had a post-tax gross revenue for tables of $49,372,708.56, and, based on industry average, at least 15% of that post-tax gross revenue is profit for the investors.

[3] Total lost at SugarHouse by Philadelphians according to PGCB, assuming half of the gamblers at SugarHouse are Philadelphia residents, compared to Local Share Assessment that goes to the City plus wage tax reduction for Philadelphia residents. SugarHouse has information on the percentage of patrons who are Philadelphians, but has not made it public. According to the Patriot-News, more than half the patrons at other casinos in the area are from Pennsylvania. We believe that SugarHouse’s patrons are more likely than not to be Philadelphians, but SugarHouse has not made that information public. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “The casino draws heavily from nearby Chinatown and attracts a broad cross-section of customers from North, South, and West Philadelphia and South Jersey, who come from within a 12-mile radius,” [SugarHouse General Manager Wendy] Hamilton said.”

[4] A SugarHouse executive stated, in a private meeting, that they have given out 500 lines of credit. The minimum credit line is $500, according to SugarHouse officials, so the actual total can be assumed to be much higher than this, but SugarHouse has not provided this information.

[5] Uniform Crime Report for October 2010 to August 2011 for the SugarHouse Gaming Enforcement Division of the PA State Police (75 incidents), plus crimes reported to the Philadelphia Police Department from October 2010 to August 2011 on the 1000 block of North Delaware Avenue (19 incidents)

[6] Philadelphia City Paper, “Pa. Gaming Control Board says SugarHouse diversity numbers “very disappointing””, June 16, 2011

09/12/11 - Inquirer Editorial: Gaming reform moving ahead?

Tom — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:18:03 +0000

http://articles.philly.com/2011-09-12/news/30145579_1_gaming-board-gaming-contro...

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

271 days and counting...

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:27:17 +0000

Remember Foxwoods, that second Philly casino that we fought until it had its license revoked last December? Well, they're back. 271 days after they had their license yanked, they're scheduled to be in court today, demanding that the PGCB reinstate their license.

We know we cannot let another casino come to Philly. SugarHouse is already sucking millions of dollars from the pockets of Philadelphians, and sending that money on to billionaires in Chicago. They're pushing quicksand credit as a way to keep winning, when in fact they know the only ones who win are their investors.

Sign up to join the campaign to shut down quicksand credit!

By fighting SugarHouse, we are helping to make sure another casino never comes to Philly. Casino investors like to know the local environment — who's in favor? who's opposed? how strong is the opposition? will it continue after they open, or fade into the background?

We are not fading into the background. We are growing stronger every day. Join our campaign now! The bigger we are, the stronger we are. Help us grow to show SugarHouse, and any future casino (Foxwoods or otherwise) that we don't want them here, preying on our neighbors.

Our goal is to get 271 people to join the campaign. That's one person for each day since Foxwoods has its license revoked. Will you join this campaign? Sign up now.

Look, we don't think Foxwoods will get it's license returned. And we're pretty sure no second casino will ever come to Philly, due to our hard work. But we can't just sit back and hope. Join our quicksand credit campaign, so we can not only shut down this predatory practice, but show any future casino investors that we will not back down just because a casino opens its doors.

Thank you!

Help us plan a fight against quicksand credit

Casino-Free Philly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:31:25 +0000

We're gearing up to launch our newest campaign fighting quicksand credit, a predatory tactic currently being employed by SugarHouse casino to drive people into debt and encourage problem gambling behavior. A big part of our planning will be around plans to mark the one-year memorial of SugarHouse's opening this month.

We're meeting TOMORROW, Saturday, Sept. 10 from 1:30 to 4:30 PM at our Center City office, 714 Market Street, Suite 3. Will you be able to make it?

What is Quicksand Credit, and Why Should We Fight It?

SugarHouse casino, as well as most other casinos in the country, offer their customers unlimited lines of credit, which can only be used to gamble at the casino. There is no interest on the line of credit, and it must be paid back in 30 days. The casinos call this a "convenience" so you don't have to carry large amounts of cash to the casino -- but they'll happily give you more cash than you have. Having access to a line of credit makes a person more likely to keep playing -- making SugarHouse's billionaire investors richer.

Billionaire investors tried payday loans to make money, but people saw through that scam. Then they tried sub-prime mortgages, and brought down the global economy. Now they're pushing quicksand credit.

How Can I Get Involved?

Attend our campaign launch planning this Saturday at 1:30 PM. If you can't make it but would like to be a part of the campaign planning in the future, just contact us and let us know!

Share stories about what you've seen or heard at SugarHouse, and how they're hurting people. You can email us, or you can text or call our anonymous reporting line at (215) 821-7231. Shortly, we'll be adding an anonymous web reporting option as well.

Talk to your friends and neighbors about the dangers of quicksand credit. If you would like to request a group presentation from Casino-Free Philly on quicksand credit, just email us and let us know.

Make a donation to keep our campaign going. We'll be collecting stories, planning actions, talking with neighbors and fighting these predatory practices for some time -- and we can't forget that a possible second casino license is still waiting in the wings.

Your continued support helps make sure we can stay in this fight until we've won. Thank you!

09/08/11 - Commonwealth Court denies Foxwoods request

Tom — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:38:14 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/129426818.html

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

09/06/11 - Ryan seeks to restore public faith in Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

Tom — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:56:46 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20110906_Ryan_seeks_to_restore_public_fait...

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

09/02/11 - Gaming board cold to Foxwoods' moves to regain license

Tom — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 04:25:19 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20110902_Gaming_board_cold_to_Foxwood...

Source:

The Philadelphia Inquirer

TAKE ACTION: SugarHouse forcing workers to report during hurricane

Casino-Free Philly — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:30:12 +0000

As the hurricane nears us, we want to urge you to stay safe this weekend.

Despite the hurricane threat, flood warnings, evacuations and mass transit shutdown, SugarHouse casino expects its employees to work this weekend. Even the governor's declaration of a state of emergency won't stand in the way of SugarHouse's desire for profit.

SEPTA is shutting down all service at midnight. The mayor is asking people to stay off the streets. The city of Chester has evacuated riverside neighborhoods. Despite it all, SugarHouse wants people to show up, including overnight tonight as the hurricane hits Philadelphia.

Here's what they said on Facebook: "Need something to do while waiting out Hurricane Irene? Come to SugarHouse Casino for great food, drinks, gaming and music all weekend long!" (Update: We've added a screenshot; here's a large version.)

Please leave a comment on SugarHouse's Facebook page, and call them at (267) 232-2000. Ask them to close until the state of emergency ends

You'll need to "like" SugarHouse to leave a comment, but you can immediately "unlike" them!

Casino customers can choose whether or not to visit SugarHouse, but employees may not have that choice.

Help us keep our neighbors safe, and ask SugarHouse to act in the interest of their workers. Call them now at (267) 232-2000, and send them a note on Facebook.

Stay safe, stay dry, and keep fighting for a better Philadelphia!

Image: Flickr user au_tiger01

Campaign launch planning, Sept. 10

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:48:13 +0000

Thanks to your help, we more than beat our goal of raising $5,000 to launch our new campaign against quicksand credit.

Because of your support, we raised over $6,500. That means we can launch our new campaign!

Now that we know we can launch, will you join us on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, to help us plan our campaign launch? RSVP for the campaign planning meeting now.

We'll be getting together on Sept. 10 to strategize about how to make our launch as powerful as possible. SugarHouse will have been open for one year on Sept. 23, and we're going to use that memorial date to launch our new campaign.

If you have ideas about what we should do to kick off our quicksand credit campaign, then join us on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 1:30. This community meeting will be held at our office: 714 Market Street, Suite 3 (just down the hall from our old office). Please join us!

Thank you so much for supporting us. Together, we will show SugarHouse that we will not be quiet just because they're open — in fact, we'll get louder and louder until they are closed for good.

A big thank-you to all of the individuals and organizations who donated to our silent auction! Please visit some of these establishments, and let's continue to support each other:

Jethro Heiko and The Action Mill
Affordable Skin Care Salon
Ralph Stollenwerk and Awesome Dudes Printing
Shandra Bernath-Plaisted
Carrie Borgenicht and Carrie's Gardens
Lily Cavanagh
Kate Duncan (Flederhaus on Etsy)
Francis Elling
Harvey Finkle
Firehouse Bicycles
Leroy Forney
Rich Garella
Damon Hollis
Danielle Stimpson and Learn Reiki Philadelphia
Karen McDonnell and Anthony Cortosi
Philadelphia Community Acupuncture
The Reiki School
Kaytee Riek
Rustica Pizza
Ruth Schultz
Tanya Seaman
Studio 34
Titanium Rings Forever and TitaniumBeads.com
JJ Tiziou
Trophy Bikes
VIX Emporium
The Westin Philadlephia
The Wiggly Tendrils
Wooden Shoe Books
Diane Zatz