Foxwoods Casino

Neighbors of the proposed Foxwoods Casino had no legal standing to challenge the state's decision to build a slots-parlor near their homes, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday. In a ruling that augurs ill for similar challenges by City Council, anti-casino activists and neighborhood groups, the Supreme Court yesterday dismissed an appeal from four civic associations opposed to the licensing of Foxwoods Casino on Christopher Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. The ruling, against Society Hill Civic Association, Queen Village Neighbors Association, Pennsport Civic Association and Whitman Council, was applauded by Foxwoods and SugarHouse casinos - the two partnerships licensed by the state to build in Philadelphia.

When officials began a news conference yesterday celebrating the planned move of the Foxwoods Casino to Center City, the audience already was sprinkled with protest signs held by community opponents, many from nearby Chinatown. "We're going to the mat on this one," said Debbie Wei, a member of Asian Americans United and principal of a Chinatown charter school. "We're tired. No more. No deals. " Opposition, from Chinatown and other Center City communities, is among several factors that make plans to move the proposed Foxwoods casino to the Gallery mall on Market Street far from a sure bet. "There are no guarantees," said Gov. Rendell, who worked with Mayor Nutter to convince Foxwoods to abandon its controversial site on the Delaware riverfront in South Philadelphia.

The investor group behind the embattled Foxwoods Casino planned for South Philadelphia filed a last-minute appeal Monday to salvage the project. The deadline was 5 p.m. Monday for Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners L.P. to appeal its license revocation to the state Supreme Court. The deadline came and went, and no such appeal was filed, according to the court's website, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said it was never served notice of an appeal Tuesday.

I APPLAUD the suggestion by Dominick Lazzaro Jr. of having Steve Wynn purchase the SS United States, with one slight variation. Instead of turning it into a hotel for the Foxwoods casino, it might be a better idea to have it berthed at Penn's Landing and make it into a tourist attraction. Since it is the SS United States (and this is the birthplace of the United States), it would be a nice place to have all 50 states represented in their own rooms, giving people information about that state, like when it was admitted to the union, the population, maps and brochures of different tourist attractions, plus large photos of those attractions.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court yesterday refused a request by Foxwoods Casino to speed up its long-stalled request for city approval of its planned slots parlor in the Pennsport section. Without elaborating, the court refused to do for Foxwoods what it did earlier this month for SugarHouse, Philadelphia's other intended casino: bypass City Council and give the go-ahead to break ground. "I'm happy, but I'm not ready to set off fireworks yet," said City Councilman Frank DiCicco, who has opposed both riverfront casino sites as unacceptable.

City Council hired a local law firm yesterday to appeal the Pennsylvania Gaming Board's decision to award casino licenses to two operators along the Delaware River. The appeal has been expected for some time, but Councilman Frank DiCicco - who convinced Council to authorize spending $100,000 on the appeal - has had trouble finding a local law firm that was not connected to casino interests. A tentative deal with one firm fell through two weeks ago when the firm was hired by SugarHouse Casino, one of the two casinos whose licensing DiCicco wants to appeal.

The state Gaming Control Board flexed its regulatory muscle with a strong defense of its decision to yank the license for the Foxwoods Casino. The board told partners of the long-delayed Philadelphia project that a gaming license is "a privilege, not a right. " That was the perfect response. It offers more hope the casino won't be built at its poor location on the Delaware River. It's also a welcome sign the gaming board can do what is right, and not what is politically expedient.

Three investors are taking command of the failed Foxwoods Casino project and trying to negotiate a settlement with the state to regain the gaming license they lost. Last spring, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board stripped the project of its license. At the time, the local investor group was led by New Jersey entrepreneur Lewis Katz. The group appealed the decision in Commonwealth Court, arguing that it did not have a reasonable opportunity to state its case. In a filing Thursday in Commonwealth Court, the group asked for a 60-day extension of a Sept.

The casino investors behind Donald Trump's failed Philadelphia slots project filed a petition yesterday with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to reopen the bidding process now that the Foxwoods Casino is trying to move off the waterfront. The action is the second legal salvo from Trump's group in a month. On Dec. 18, the Trump partners filed a federal lawsuit in Harrisburg, challenging the board for not awarding them a license on grounds that Trump had competing operations in New Jersey.