Opinion Eyes on the Street

Casino Roundup: Five or more applicants? Wynn for the win? City-owned casino?

PlanPhilly staff

November 9, 2012

(by Flickr user riekhavoc | Creative Commons License)

The deadline to apply for Philly’s second casino license is Thursday, November 15, and as it gets closer we will keep you posted as we learn more. The Daily News reports there will be at least five casino proposals submitted next week.

[UPDATED, 11/9/12 at 4:19pm]: PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates reports that the city has received notification about the following five sites: The Provence (400 North Broad), Wynn Philadelphia (2001 Beach Street, 2001-2005 Richmond Street), Casino Philadelphia (8th and Market streets), Convention Center Casino (15th and Race streets), and Stadium Casino (800 Packer Avenue).

Here’s what we know about six sites floated so far:

The Provence, Broad and Callowhill:

Local developer Bart Blatstein has made the biggest splash so far with his French-inspired wild plans for a casino/resort/entertainment complex on North Broad Street at the former Inquirer/Daily News buildings.

Developer: Bart Blatstein, Tower Investments
Casino Operator: Hard Rock International
Site: Former Inquirer/Daily News buildings at Broad and Callowhill
Features: 125 room hotel, 3,000 slot machines, 150 table games, two swim clubs, several entertainment venues, 1,700 parking spaces, and a rooftop shopping street
Budget: $700 million

Stadium Casino, Packer and 10th:

Two developers behind Parx and Xfinity Live! have teamed up as Stadium Casino, LLC, and recently entered into an agreement to purchase the Holiday Inn site on Packer Avenue at 10th Street with an eye toward creating a casino/hotel/entertainment complex.

Developer: Stadium Casino, LLC – a partnership between Cordish Cos. (which co-owns Xfinity Live! ) and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment (owners of Parx in Bensalem)
Features: 240-room revamped hotel, 2,000 slot machines, 125 table games, spa, pool, six restaurants, live music venue, parking garage with about 2,500 spaces.
Budget: $425-$500 million

Wynn Philadelphia, North Beach Street:

Casino-watchers might suffer from déjà vu with this proposal. Steve Wynn, who was last involved with the failed Foxwoods casino bid, is back with a proposal for a casino on James Anderson’s Fishtown waterfront property, part of which was pitched by Pinnacle the last time around. Wynn called Anderson’s land “a delicious piece of real estate,” reports the Inquirer‘s Jennifer Lin, and said his proposal for Wynn Philadelphia would be a resort casino/hotel similar to the Wynn Macau. PhillyDeals writes that Wynn’s “international scale and financing power” could make his proposal the favorite.

Developer/Casino Operator: Casino mogul Steve Wynn
Site: James Anderson’s land along North Beach Street between Palmer and Cumberland streets.
Features: 300-room hotel, 2,500 slot machines, and 100 table games.

GamePoint, 3rd and Packer

In a truly bizarre wrinkle, Rep. Bob Brady suggests that Philly should build a casino itself at the former Food Distribution Center site at Packer Avenue near the foot of the Walt Whitman Bridge. The Daily News reports that Brady wants to put a referendum on the ballot in May authorizing the city to borrow $500 million to develop the casino. Drawbacks include the questionable legality of a city-operated casino and missing the Gaming Control Board’s deadline by several months.

Site: former Food Distribution Center, Packer Avenue at 3rd Street
Features: 300-room hotel, 5,000 slot machines, 250 table games, concert venue, nightclub, garage, and a “tailgate park”
Budget: $500 million

Casino Philadelphia, 8th and Market:

Plans for this site – from DisneyQuest to a Target – never seem to materialize, but early this year Ken Goldenberg said his company was exploring a casino concept for the corner of 8th and Market.

Parkway Corp.:

Parkway Corp. owns a lot of surface parking lots and garages, a veritable land bank from which to choose potential casino sites. Parkway’s Robert Zuritsky hinted earlier this year that their surface parking lot at Broad and Callowhill (across from the Inquirer/Daily News building where Bart Blatstein is proposing The Provence) is a possibility. But, again, Parkway has a lot of options.

Here’s what we’re looking at:

View Philadelphia Casino Sites in a larger map

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