Concerned legislators from Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery
Counties said Friday that a second Philadelphia casino could drain customers,
revenues, and maybe jobs from existing gaming sites in the region.
"Too much of a good thing is a bad idea," said
State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, a Democrat whose district includes Harrah's
Philadelphia in Chester.
"I certainly would feel better if there weren't
another one," said Joseph DiGirolamo, the Republican mayor of Bensalem,
home of Parx Casino.
State Sen. Daylin Leach (D., Montgomery), whose district
includes Valley Forge Casino Resort, said, "I'm not sure how many licenses
in this area is enough and how many is too many. It's something we should all
be concerned about."
Leach, like many of his legislative counterparts, was
quick to point out that he did not have statistics or studies to prove any
effects of an additional casino on the regional market.
Still, he and others said they believe the gambling
market is saturated.
Dominic Pileggi, the Delaware County Republican who is
state Senate majority leader, said he believes that new casinos "are
competing for the same dollars."
Placing a new casino near either Delaware County or Bucks
County, he said, would draw gamblers from an existing facility.
"Most of the Philadelphia-area facilities are
drawing from the same pool of potential gamblers," he said. "And one
of the factors in where the gamblers decide to gamble is how far the facility
is from their home."
Pileggi said he did not know where the second
Philadelphia casino would be, and would not comment on rumors that the license
would go to a site in South Philadelphia, a quick ride up I-95 from Harrah's.
Kirkland, however, said that was what he had been
hearing, and he was troubled by the news.
"If we continue to increase the number of casinos in
Pennsylvania, you decrease the amount of revenue in certain areas," he
said, which could also lead to casino layoffs.
And he didn't hesitate to describe what he envisioned as
a worst-case scenario for his home district.
"We become like Atlantic City," he said.
"That's my biggest fear."
Four casinos have closed in Atlantic City so far this
year.
Source: Philly.com
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