Procacci, 85, who splits his time between homes in Cherry Hill and Naples, Fla., would have 100 percent control of PHL Local Gaming. He could not be reached for comment.
His company, which has its headquarters in South Philadelphia, is the largest tomato supplier on the East Coast, with warehouses here and farms in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Florida.
The casino would be operated by Merit Management Corp. of Chicago, headed by Joseph J. Canfora. Canfora previously ran the Empress Casinos in the Chicago area and his company now manages a casino in Bellingham, Wash.
The application caught other contenders by surprise because Procacci had not notified the city of his intentions last week.
Under guidelines from the state's Gaming Control Board, potential applicants were required to file local impact reports with the city on Nov. 8, a week prior to Thursday's filing deadline with regulators in Harrisburg.
O'Riordan said the impact report was delivered to city officials Thursday.
The delay, according to the gaming board, is not expected to affect the application. Regulators will begin to review all applications and, if necessary, request additional information.
O'Riordan said Procacci Bros. is a major property owner in the warehouse district of South Philadelphia.
The casino, he said, would extend from Front to Third Streets on Pattison Avenue.
In addition to the three sites in South Philadelphia, the six groups that are vying for the city's second casino license include two in Center City and one on the Delaware River waterfront in Fishtown.
The other applicants with South Philadelphia sites include Live! Hotel & Casino at the Stadium District, a partnership between Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment Inc. that is proposing a project at 900 Packer Ave., and the Hollywood Casino Philadelphia at 700 Packer, a suggested collaboration between Penn National Corp. and City of Philadelphia interests.
In Center City, developer Bart Blatstein is proposing a three-block mixed-used project at Broad and Callowhill Streets that would include a casino, hotel, parking garage, retailing, dining, and theaters. At Eighth and Market Streets, the Goldenberg Group is teaming with investors in a group called Market East Associates to convert a parking lot into a casino.
In submitting applications, contenders had to put down a $50 million letter of credit or bond with the gaming board, which is equal to the cost of a slots license.
Doug Harbach, a spokesman for the gaming board, said the names of the individuals aligned with each project are expected to be released in two weeks.
The board, however, will not make public the applications until January. He said some information relating to finances or proprietary business practices may have to be redacted before released to the public.
Procacci, a Camden native, got his start selling produce from pushcarts and grew the business into one of the region's largest produce distributors, with seven warehouses in Philadelphia.
Procacci is credited with popularizing grape tomatoes as well as an heirloom variety called the "UglyRipe."
Contact Jennifer Lin at 215-854-5659 or jlin@phillynews.com, or on Twitter @j_linq.
