No Casino in Heart of City Coalition

Last Tuesday 14 Philadelphia community members were arrested in a blockade of the Sugar House site in the early morning. Watch here for video from the protest.

Read below for a full statement from the organizers. Read here for a report back from one of the arrested community members.

Last week marks a victory in the campaign to stop casinos in Philadelphia as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board heard the case of Foxwoods trying to keep their license to open up slots in Philadelphia.

This Friday the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will vote whether or not to extend the license needed for Foxwoods casinos to open one of the two proposed slots parlors in city limits.  Members of Asian Americans United, Casino Free Philadelphia and other in the No Casino in the Heart of Our City Coalition will head to Harrisburg to de

This afternoon, people from all over the city gathered at the brand-new No Slots Spot, right across the street from the proposed slots parlor, for an Anti-Casino Circus. "Because when it comes to bringing slots to Philly, it's not a democracy, it's a circus!"

Updates from the fight to stop slots.

Last week our City Council gave a unanimous vote to relocate the purposed Foxwoods Casino to the former Strawbridge & Clothier site at 8th and Market.

It' hard to believe that today marks nine months to the day when a line-up of politicos from the Governor on down stood end to end in City Hall with Foxwoods exec Michael "You call it an addiction, I call it a client base" Thomas and declared the heart of Philadelphia as their target for the flailing casino industry.

As the casino industry tries to push it's way into the heart of Philadelphia, communities are pushing back. In this piece, we hear highlights from a community forum hosted by the No Casino in the Heart of the City Coalition, with speakers from Asian Americans United & Casino Free Philadelphia. The speakers shed light on the predatory tactics used by the casino industry and explain some of the ways that casinos encourage gambling addiction and target those who can least afford to lose.

Over in the Inquirer Opinion section David McKenna got run for an insightful piece on next steps in the struggle against slots. Here it is below and the full article here>>.
 
--
Far from being an economic windfall, casinos make problems worse.
By David McKenna
The casino express is chugging toward Philadelphia, and local politicians are greasing the rails.