Gaming Law

Confused by a state law regulating raffles and other small games of chance, Chester County Treasurer Tracy Massey went searching for answers soon after she took office this year. "I called the District Attorney's Office and asked to speak to somebody about small games of chance. They put me on hold and the telephone rang right down here next to me," recalled Massey, whose office sells the $100 game licenses. Officials across the state have struggled to interpret the law and are reluctant to enforce it. The law, which took effect in 1989, legalized some of the raffles, lotteries, punchboard and pull-tab games that had become traditional but unlawful fund-raising tools for thousands of community, volunteer and religious organizations.

HARRISBURG — The license that was revoked for the ill-starred Foxwoods Casino project in South Philadelphia could soon be up for grabs — with bidding starting at $65 million. Pennsylvania legislators in the House are poised to approve legislation as early as Tuesday to hold a statewide auction for the coveted license. The minimum bid, according to the legislation, would be $65 million, and the state Gaming Control Board would have the ultimate say over where, and to whom, the new casino should go. "This would let the free market determine what price we would get for the casino," said Rep. Curt Schroder (R., Chester)

HARRISBURG — The state House of Representatives has approved a bill to hold a statewide auction to finally award the license that was yanked from the Foxwoods Casino project in South Philadelphia, but the measure is likely to hit a legislative brick wall once it lands in the Senate. On Wednesday, the House voted, 140-48 to open up the auction for the coveted license for a casino anywhere in the state, with bidding starting at $65 million. The state Gaming Control Board would have the ultimate say over where, and to whom, the new casino should go. If the bill were to continue gaining legislative traction, it could result in Philadelphia losing its right to a second casino under the state gaming law passed in 2004.

WHEN the state Gaming Control Board revoked the casino license for Foxwoods in 2010, we didn't breathe a full sigh of relief, since we figured, like a bad penny, the license for yet another casino in the state wasn't going to go completely away. Sure enough, the Legislature is now moving toward putting the license up for bid — to any and all comers in the state. That means it's no sure bet that Philadelphia will have a second casino. Although many in the city — including us — wouldn't consider that a heartbreak, we are concerned that this decision to flout the original 2004 state gaming law that mandated two casinos in the city has no basis other than purely political.

The license that was revoked for the ill-starred Foxwoods Casino project in South Philadelphia could soon be up for grabs - with bidding starting at $65 million. Pennsylvania legislators in the House are poised to approve legislation as early as Tuesday to hold a statewide auction for the coveted license. The minimum bid, according to the legislation, would be $65 million, and the state Gaming Control Board would have the ultimate say over where, and to whom, the new casino should go. "This would let the free market determine what price we would get for the casino," said state Rep. Curt Schroder, a Republican from Chester, the bill's sponsor.

The partners in Foxwoods Casino have filed an appeal in Commonwealth Court challenging the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's decision last month to revoke the project's license. The filing, submitted late Friday, shifts the argument over the license from the gaming board to the court. This month, the Foxwoods group petitioned the gaming board to reconsider the revocation, but the seven commissioners have been silent on whether they intend to take up the matter. The Foxwoods group, called Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners (PEDP)

It wasn't too long ago that Gov. Rendell and friends claimed the state needed to legalize slots parlors in order to save the horse racing industry. Then somewhere along the line, some of the so-called racinos morphed into free-standing slots parlors. Now, some Harrisburg lawmakers are once again exploring the idea of legalizing full-blown casinos with blackjack, roulette, and other table games. At this rate, what happens in Las Vegas will soon be happening in Pennsylvania.

GREAT EDITORIAL about the state's effort to transfer Philadelphia's zoning authority to the unelected Gaming Control Board in Harrisburg ("Harrisburg zoning-control freaks," Sept. 12). Politicians in Harrisburg and Philadelphia believe city residents don't much object to their waterfront being turned into Atlantic City without a public debate, citizen input, zoning authority or a good plan. But many of us do object. Act 71, the gaming law, was passed in the middle of the night, right before the 2004 July Fourth recess, just like the pay raise.

IF THE BOOK relating the history of gaming in Pennsylvania ever gets written, it's hard to imagine the word "debacle" not in the title. But that book is a big "if," given the twists and turns of gaming in the state, which seems to open a sordid new chapter every few months. The latest: the revelation that Foxwoods chief honcho Michael Thomas was convicted on drug-dealing charges in 1988. He was still granted a gaming license in Pennsylvania despite the prohibition on felons' getting a license within 15 years of the end of their sentences.

How ironic that the lawmaker who played a key role in crafting Pennsylvania's flawed gambling law now wants to fix it. But then again, who better to close the gaping loopholes than retiring State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.)? After all, he knows where the holes are located. It's not cynical to consider that Fumo's efforts now may have ulterior motives. Perhaps he wants to buff his image in preparation for the long federal corruption trial he faces starting tomorrow. Or maybe Fumo wants to get back at the cronies in the casino business whom he no longer counts among his friends.

HARRISBURG — The state House of Representatives has approved a bill to hold a statewide auction to finally award the license that was yanked from the Foxwoods Casino project in South Philadelphia, but the measure is likely to hit a legislative brick wall once it lands in the Senate. On Wednesday, the House voted, 140-48 to open up the auction for the coveted license for a casino anywhere in the state, with bidding starting at $65 million. The state Gaming Control Board would have the ultimate say over where, and to whom, the new casino should go. If the bill were to continue gaining legislative traction, it could result in Philadelphia losing its right to a second casino under the state gaming law passed in 2004.

The license that was revoked for the ill-starred Foxwoods Casino project in South Philadelphia could soon be up for grabs - with bidding starting at $65 million. Pennsylvania legislators in the House are poised to approve legislation as early as Tuesday to hold a statewide auction for the coveted license. The minimum bid, according to the legislation, would be $65 million, and the state Gaming Control Board would have the ultimate say over where, and to whom, the new casino should go. "This would let the free market determine what price we would get for the casino," said state Rep. Curt Schroder, a Republican from Chester, the bill's sponsor.

WHEN the state Gaming Control Board revoked the casino license for Foxwoods in 2010, we didn't breathe a full sigh of relief, since we figured, like a bad penny, the license for yet another casino in the state wasn't going to go completely away. Sure enough, the Legislature is now moving toward putting the license up for bid — to any and all comers in the state. That means it's no sure bet that Philadelphia will have a second casino. Although many in the city — including us — wouldn't consider that a heartbreak, we are concerned that this decision to flout the original 2004 state gaming law that mandated two casinos in the city has no basis other than purely political.

HARRISBURG — The license that was revoked for the ill-starred Foxwoods Casino project in South Philadelphia could soon be up for grabs — with bidding starting at $65 million. Pennsylvania legislators in the House are poised to approve legislation as early as Tuesday to hold a statewide auction for the coveted license. The minimum bid, according to the legislation, would be $65 million, and the state Gaming Control Board would have the ultimate say over where, and to whom, the new casino should go. "This would let the free market determine what price we would get for the casino," said Rep. Curt Schroder (R., Chester)

By Greg Fajt The state Attorney General's Office recently released a grand jury report that is highly critical of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, largely on the basis of events that occurred during the agency's earliest years of operation. The Inquirer has portrayed my comments on the report as dismissive of it and of its recommendations on how the agency and the state gaming law could be improved. That is simply not the case. The Gaming Control Board, which I chair, recognizes and respects the hard work of the state grand jury, which was investigating possible violations of the law during the establishment of the board and the issuance of gaming licenses.

The partners in Foxwoods Casino have filed an appeal in Commonwealth Court challenging the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's decision last month to revoke the project's license. The filing, submitted late Friday, shifts the argument over the license from the gaming board to the court. This month, the Foxwoods group petitioned the gaming board to reconsider the revocation, but the seven commissioners have been silent on whether they intend to take up the matter. The Foxwoods group, called Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners (PEDP)

HARRISBURG - After four years, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board finally ran out of patience with the Foxwoods Casino project. In a decision that shocked Foxwoods' attorneys and left anti-casino activists giddy with victory, the commissioners voted, 6-1, Thursday to strip the project of its $50 million slots license. What will happen next, no one knows. This is the first time the state has revoked a gaming license. If the matter winds up in court, it could mean that Philadelphia does not see a second casino for some time.

If I were serious about drafting a plan for life after newspapers, I'd scout and incorporate strip-mall space near area casinos for a chain of drop-in 24/7 child-care centers. I'd call my company something cute like Little Winners or Slots for Tots. And I'd insist on payment up front, since everyone knows most gamblers leave empty-handed. The demand is definitely there at Bensalem's Parx Casino, where parents keep abandoning their kids to wager the days and nights away. On Thursday, state legislators, a mayor, a police director, and casino execs held a news conference announcing their solution to the summer scourge: legislation that would make dumping kids to play craps a felony.

After years of steady expansion in their legal niche, lawyers who represent casinos and other gambling interests say there are signs their specialty may be leveling off, even as casinos in Pennsylvania are booming. For now, there appears to be plenty of work for lawyers in this highly specialized, insular field, particularly in jurisdictions such as Pennsylvania, where legalized gambling still is new and revenue is on a sharp upward arc. But gambling revenues are down nationally, and among those who practice gaming law, the talk invariably is about whether gambling has reached a saturation point.

Three and a half years after authorizing the Foxwoods Casino project on the South Philadelphia waterfront, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is only beginning the process of licensing one key player in the proposed gaming hall and determining the need to license a second. State regulators have notified real estate developer Ronald Rubin, 79, that he must submit to an exhaustive financial and personal background investigation. They are assessing the role of New Jersey lawyer and entrepreneur Lewis Katz, 68, before deciding whether he, too, must apply.