Brady wants Philly to take a chance on running a casino
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Cordish Cos. proposed a partnership with the owner of Bensalem's Parx to build a casino on Packer Ave. and 10th streets. (Kimberly Paynter/for NewsWorks)
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The former site of the Daily News and Inquirer at Broad and Callowhill streets. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
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U.S. Rep. Bob Brady is advocating to build a city run casino at the site of the old food distribution center at Parker Ave. and 3rd streets but has not yet submitted a proposal. (Kimberly Paynter/for NewsWorks)
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Casino developer Steve Wynn has said that he wants to build along the Delaware River in Fishtown, near Penn Treaty Park. (Kimberly Paynter/for NewsWorks)
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<p>The Goldenberg Group applied for the license to build on the parking lot at 8th and Market streets, the site of the failed DisneyQuest project in the early 2000's. (Kimberly Paynter/for NewsWorks)</p>
The competition to build Philadelphia’s next casino is under way, again. While a well-known Philadelphia developer and an established casino mogul are among those vying for the city’s second license, a local lawmaker has an idea of his own.
While others focus on slot machines and table games, Congressman Bob Brady is thinking about schoolchildren and union members. He wants the city to open the next casino so it can best benefit from the revenue.
“Why should we make millionaires, billionaires? And some of our billionaires twice?” Brady said. “We’ve got a chance to make a whole lot of money and that money, I thought, we could dedicate to the school district and to help the city pension fund become solvent — help our union brothers and sisters that are having a problem with a contract mainly because of the pension fund.”
Brady said the idea for a city-owned casino came from a well-known Chicago politician.
“I served with Rahm Emanuel, who was the chief of the staff of President Obama, now the mayor of Chicago,” Brday said. “And we talked about it about a year or two ago and it was part of his platform. He’s still trying to get a casino owned by the city of Chicago.”
Brady suggested the casino could be built on city-owned property in South Philadelphia that’s under the Walt Whitman Bridge.
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