Philadelphia rejects mini-casinos

The City Council unanimously voted to reject video gaming terminals and mini-casinos in the territory.

US.- After Pennsylvania legalised a gambling expansion, cities all over the state were given a period of time to decide whether they wanted to be part of the movement or not. The Philadelphia City Council rejected unanimously video gaming terminals and mini-casinos during a voting that took place late last week.

The motion was rejected by twelve Council members that cosponsored legislation and were then joined by five others in a vote to cancel those modalities. The legislation passed by Pennsylvania included gaming terminals in truck shops, a Category 4 casino license with 750 slot machines and 40 table games in city neighborhoods.

Councilman Bobby Henon said: “We sent a strong message. It is dangerous to even think about this type of gaming expansion into our neighborhoods. It’s a truck stop today, but it could be stop-and-gos and bars tomorrow. It’s like inviting a vampire into our home and getting bitten. A city with 26 percent poverty, 12 percent deep poverty, we cannot afford to take that kind of risk,” Henon said after the vote. “It would  destroy the social fabric of the citizenry.”

Moreover, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson said that it’s enough with SugarHouse and the casino that is set to open at 11th Street and Packer Avenue: “It’s better to focus on the casinos that we have.”