Casino-Free Philadelphia Tells Wynn 'You're Not Welcome'

For Immediate Release

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3, dozens of supporters members of Casino-Free Philadelphia will travel by on a bus to Harrisburg to present Steve Wynn and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board with their views on Wynn’s proposal to build a casino in South Philadelphia. They will make it clear that Wynn’s proposal is no improvement, and even worse than the failed Foxwoods proposal.

Where: Public Utility Commission, Keystone Bldg., Hearing Room One, Harrisburg, PA

When: 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 3

"We'e going to give Steve Wynn a welcome he'll never forget," said Lily Cavanagh, Executive Organizer of Casino-Free Philadelphia. "Casino-Free Philadelphia cannot imagine a worse business owner; or a worse predatory industry."

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board made it clear that the Foxwoods box-store casino, which would eventually include a hotel, was not acceptable. Yet Wynn’s proposal leaves out everything except a box-store casino with sprawling parking lots. Wynn’s only mention of troubled location referred to “Italians and Jews ... ethnic group[s] that [like] to play craps and gamble.”

“When Wynn told investors that he ‘love[s] being only two blocks away from a Vietnamese neighborhood’ and that how happy was his “old friends -- the Italians and Jews,” were “only ten minutes away,” you could almost see him salivate over the possibility of having a casino closer to residential neighborhoods than any other casino in the United States. Apparently he’s tired of building destination resorts and now he’s ready to enter the most predatory aspects of gambling – the convenience casino. He’s sucked as much money as he can out of Vegas, now he’s ready to prey strictly on Philadelphians and suck money out of our economy,” said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia.

For an audio clip of Mr. Wynn describing how his casino would prey on locals, see this article in Philadelphia Citypaper.

Casino-Free Philadelphia's mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. The social and economic costs of predatory gambling are plainly apparent from an industry reliant on addiction to survive. Visit us online at www.CasinoFreePhila.org.

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