No one would have thought Philadelphia would become a huge gambling center of the US. If you asked people a few years ago about the center for gambling in the states, inevitably they would either pick Las Vegas or Atlantic City as the number one locations. This was true for years and indicative of the huge hold these two locations had on the gaming public. It wasn’t just the games that drew people in, but the reputations each location had for gaming excellence. They knew that these locations had a reputation of focusing on gambling as a market. when you are looking for a product, why not go to the best companies to get it? Las Vegas and Atlantic City were the best…until the recession. Once that happened it managed to shake everything up. Now the two gambling locations are having a hard time maintaining their grip and reputation on the market. Other areas are cropping up to take the title of best gambling cities in the US. One is Philadelphia. The city already has ten casinos throughout its area and they offer all types of table games and slot machines. If you want to find a premiere gambling location in the city you aren’t going to have any problems. Just pick a direction and sooner or later you are going to hit a gambling center within a relatively small driving distance from where you started.

Philadelphia is quickly becoming a gambling Mecca for the states and it is one of the country’s leading gambling markets right now. The estimates are that it brings in over $1-billion a year in revenue. That is nothing to laugh at when it comes to wagering. Don’t ever forget that the market is expanding and for one city to take on the title of “best” is no small feat– especially now when all states are pushing their own gambling initiatives hard. They know that they need to expend quickly to keep up with the market and keep gamers coming to their locations. People are discerning right now so they know what to look for when it comes to gaming. The fact that they are looking to Philadelphia is a huge benefit for the state.

In the world of gambling the numbers are still struggling. Despite the struggles though, there is still some good news. Gaming operators know that there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Gamblers are coming back into the market. They are slowly starting gaming again and that means that they have the ability to turn the market around. The gambling market needs funds and funds are what slowly but surely are coming to them. People know that the recession is now over and that means they are starting their gambling habits again. They think that they have the liberty of changing their conservative gambling habits. This is great news for a market that is up and ready for change. Gaming is finally coming together and reviving itself.

One sign that it is hap[ening is Pennsylvania’s Sugar House numbers. The casino showed a growth in revenue of 7.8% this past month. This is great news because it means that a possible complete market turnaround could be on the table. If gambling starts changing, then it could come up with a great outcome for the market as a whole. Sugar House is a casino that has a lot of hope hung in it. The state needs Sugar House to perform well and bring in the milliosns of dollars needed for economic revival. It is taking longer than anticipated though. The Gaming Control Board noted that slot machines created a total revenue of $186,000,000 in September. That means a tax revenue of over $102,000,000. This is just another sign of how lucrative slots gaming is and how much it can offer the gambling market, and also the government. it is no wonder how gambling is growing and changing the market. People are hoping that gambling will be the savior for the market. It may take some time, but the numbers are slowly turning around. The Pennsylvanian casino Sugar House is what is making legislators of the state hopeful. They know that this is a small victory and hopefully the beginning of more good things to come for the market. It may take some time to totally turn things around, but hopefully change is coming soon.

If you are a fan of slots gaming and are in the Philadelphia area then you are going to love the new Sugar House casino. Not only is it a premiere gaming facility, but area residents have already gotten excited about the amount of tourism and fun the casino should bring in. Casino gambling is big business and that means that the state is hoping for a good return on investment too. With complete gaming and bringing in the best games, the casino is hoping to immediately build up its own market share. So far developers have put $390 million into the casino. It is a premiere location that is going to offer more than 1,600 slot machines for gamers to enjoy. Hopefully the games are going to be lucrative enough to make up that money and turn things around for the casino operators. It has been a long time now that gambling has suffered as an industry. The gaming market took a hit during the recession —just like other industries. The problem is that the casino market is dependent on peoples’ discretionary funds… funds they did not have due to the hefty unemployment rate, lowered housing values and the credit burst. It is first now that they are showing a revival. For this reason Sugar House is opening with excitement, but cautions.

Right now the Sugar House casino operators are pushing hard for gaming promotions. Their latest slogan around Philadelphia is “Phily Loves a Winner”. The slogan is supposed to excite gamers and get them immediately into gambling. Sugar House’s success is dependent on how quickly it is able to rally and start bringing in money. Operators are hopeful that it is big enough and has enough to offer that gamers are going to want to come to wager. Philadelphia is a state that is hoping the money generated from gambling is going to help it turn its own economy around. They are hoping that the money will fund various public works programs and bring new jobs to the market too. Only time will tell how well the casino does, but if its planning or its games are any indication, it should be one of the top casinos of the area in coming months.

Philadelphia recently entered the slots market. Anyone who is a fan of gambling knows that slots are one of the most lucrative games on the casino floor. In fact Las Vegas announced recently that slots gaming makes up about sixty percent of its overall revenue stream. That is a huge number and means that gamblers love the games. That was no secret though. If you visit Las Vegas you can see how full the slots parlors are. Part of that is due to the fact that people can afford the games. Unlike a high priced poker tournament that not everyone can afford, slots fit into any bankroll limit. If you have just a few dollars, you can still wager at the slots parlor. Now another slot parlor has entered the market and it will be another example of how successful slots gambling can change a market for the better.

Philadelphia just opened its first casino called Sugarhouse. Last week the casino operators came up with a two-day test run for the casino via an invite-only gaming session. The purpose was to test the games and the procedures at the casino and make sure when it officially opens all of the kinks will be worked out. The operators want the most seamless gamin run possible and are hoping that test-run will make that happen. Sugarhouse’s revenue for that trial run went directly to charity and non-profit organizations. It will take some time to get things in order, but the casino so far seems to be up and running the way it needs to. Of course it will have some growing pains, but that is normal with a multi-million dollar facility in any market. Sugarhouse has been a long time in coming and developers have spent months working on its opening and structure. Most likely it will gain the notoriety it deserves due to the overwhelming business model it has taken on. The games are varied and exciting and the tournaments built are specifically designed to payout big. That means it most likely will be able to gain a great market share quickly—which in a lot of cases is the key to having a great consistent revenue stream.

In the beginning of 2008 residents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were excited about slot machines. In fact, they even were rallying support for the machines to be entered into the market. All the usual expectations were there—gambling tax-revenue, money channeled into public programs and expansion and education funding. Communities everywhere were on board with the slot machine plan.  Then things quickly changed.

Philadelphia officials announced the area they were bringing the slot machines to. Suddenly residents became angered because they believe the area is already “overburdened with traffic” and will only “increase crime in the community.”  The decision to bring slots to Philadelphia has created many activist groups that are campaigning hard for the machines to be stationed elsewhere. The location of the new slots parlor will be on the Delaware River waterfront in the city.  Richard Harper, area resident, stated, “The waterfront is heavy traffic…anyone here knows that. You can’t get anywhere around rush hour. Now with a casino being built right in the middle of an already crowded area, we won’t be able to even move. This is a terrible idea.”

The developer of the slots parlor is trying to work with the community. Owners stated that they are willing to put up a temporary casino, rather than a permanent one. And they are willing to stagger the development so it is raised in phases. The hope is that this will help the community acclimate to the change and added traffic.  In addition to trying to ease in for the sake of the community, the developer is also having problems procuring financing. This is another reason the company is looking to move in stages. They say that by bringing in a temporary facility they can start earning additional revenue sooner. That revenue can help bolster their budgets and make it make it easier for them to start work on the permanent slots casino at a later date.

Residents are not supporting of the temporary structure though. A recent survey showed that they believe that if a permanent casino can’t be introduced right from the start, then the idea should be vetoed altogether. The bottom line is that there is a strong constituency that does not want slot machine parlors in the area, and a city that does. Only time will tell whether citizen vote or legislators’ decisions will win the battle.

Earlier this year Philadelphia state gambling regulators voted to allow slot machine distributors to operate throughout the state. Although the move made to allow the operations, it also managed to end a long-standing argument between gambling operators and the public.  The Gaming Control Board Chairman Tad Decker believed that the move was necessary to open the door for allowing horse racetracks to have slot parlors.  He stated, “I believe we just took a major step forward for gambling in Pennsylvania.” The move to allow gambling into the state, and for the state to rely on its revenue, is not a new one in the country.

One party who is excited about the move was Governor Ed Rendell. The Governor campaigned heavily since 2002 for the slots parlors, citing them as a huge contributor to the state’s tax cut plan. About one third of the gambling revenue is intended towards tax cuts for millions of homeowners around the state. Rendell, like many other legislators from across the country, are already counting on slots revenues to help fund other programs. Some are earmarking revenues from slots to public works programs or education. Others are using it to balance budgets for expansion and roads. Regardless of what they are using it for, state legislators are hard-pressed to find new ways of bringing in much-needed revenues. 

The reality of slots parlors is that historically they consistently bring in huge dollars. Whether they are penny slots or high-priced slots, people love them.  They are estimated to be a $3 billion business and a study recently reported that approximately 63% of revenues for casinos come from their slots parlor alone.

With numbers like this, it’s no wonder states are scrambling to get some laws into place that allow slots into their jurisdictions. There are difficulties though—some legal and some ethical. For example, in the case of Pennsylvania, two board members were in a dispute over operating rules for slots distributors. The debate raged over whether the distributors could legally operate statewide or in one of two regions.  Part of the push to limit them to one or two regions was to maintain opportunities for other small businesses to grow.

“We’ll have some fun. We’ll create some jobs and we’ll help beautify part of Delaware Avenue,” stated Chicago developer Neil Bluhm. He was referring to the recent groundbreaking of soil in Philadelphia.  Bluhm, along with city officials are celebrating the new construction of Sugar House Casino. Sugar House Casino is a long-anticipated, and long-criticized, new slots parlor. Bluhm referred to the casino as “a great addition to the city” as he finished his speech.

Slots are huge numbers in the world of gambling. In fact, a recent study is showing that slot machine revenues make up about 60% of a casino’s overall income. Although the machines first began humbly about a century ago, they have since that time grown into highly sophisticated and exciting gambling games. If you look at any casino floor or online casino virtual parlor, you’ll find thousands of games. Whatever your liking is, you’ll find a game themed to cater to it.  Just do a simple Google search to find the best games out there. You’ll come up with 3, 5, and 7-reel games, bonus games, progressive slots and much more. The world of slots gambling has grown tremendously with the development of programming gaming technologies.

Pennsylvania officials are excited about the new Sugar House slots parlor because the numbers don’t lie. Slot machines have become big business and rake in millions in gambling-tax dollars. Mayor Nutter was at the waterfront groundbreaking of the project, which is estimated to cost $310 million. During the ceremony he stated that “The casino will be built in 10 months. It will create 500 full-time jobs and 500 construction jobs…” He cited the slots parlor as instrumental in turning the financial climate of the city around and noted how revenues have already been apportioned into the new budget coming in 2011.

Despite cheers from the 300+ community, political and financial supporters under the party tent, there were some critics. Since the beginning of talks began, people have been calling the new casino “outrageous” and saying that it will “usher in trouble” for the community.  They lobbied hard to stop the groundbreaking ceremonies and were hoping for a victory of community support. Unfortunately, they never got the numbers needed for city officials to reassess the move.

There is a new $355-million slots parlor set to break ground in Philadelphia. Although some are seeing the new parlor as a great way to bring in funding, there are other naysayers who are quick to criticize the parlor. They are already planning on picketing to voice their disapproval when the time comes with a peaceful organization.

The community group Casino-Free Philadelphia is planning a huge anti-gambling campaign that includes banners, speeches and podium outcries to the people. Although the organization assures the public that their plans are all “peaceful”, they stress the need to get their message across.  They believe that the Sugar House Casino is going to adversely affect the community.

Sugar House Developer Neil Bluhm, Mayor Michael Nutter, and various other VIPs will celebrate the start of construction on a 22-acre riverfront site. It will be a private ceremony that is held behind protective fences and clearly separated from demonstrators. The location is at Delaware and Frankford avenues in the city’s Fishtown section. Casino-Free Philadelphia spokesman David McKenna stated, “They will be holding their event behind a high-wire fence as remote from the public as they can be, possibly because they’re ashamed they have not included the public in the process that made casino construction in Philadelphia possible.”

Critics, including the Casino-Free Philadelphia organization, believe that the Sugar House project will stain the Delaware River waterfront, harm nearby residential neighborhoods and bring more crime to the city. Supporters argue that the jobs, tax revenue and economic development created by the new casino more than make up for the inconvenience of changes in society. They also state that there is no verifiable evidence that introducing a casino or slots parlor to a city increases crime. A recent study done proved this claim.

Overall, what the Sugar House Slots Casino will mean for Philadelphia is increased revenues. There will be job creation and increase casino-tax revenues to aid the city in regrouping after the recession.  Much of the issue was financial. The city is hoping to use money to rebuild and truly overcome the aftermath of the recent recession.

Back in 2006 the Philadelphia Gaming Control Board gave owners of Foxwood  Casino the ok to start construction. They were presented with a design and quickly saw it as a step forward in the direction of new revenue. Unfortunately delays have caused the casino’s actual building to be put off.  Owners of Foxwood Casinos in south Philadelphia just requested an extension to 2011 to open their casino.  The casino would feature 1,500 slot machines and bring in potential revenue not only to the state, but also fund many new park programs, educational incentives and rehabilitation projects.

Back in 2006 the Philadelphia Gaming Control Board were sure that the project would work well. The chairman Greg Fajt stated, “We expect this project to move quickly. And we expect the casino to be on Columbus Boulevard and be substantially similar to what we approved in December 2006.” With the added request for an extension, Foxwoods Casino owners are also being threatened by the Gaming Control Board. The Board is now stated they are in danger of losing their licenses altogether if they don’t open their casino by May 2011.

Back in 2006 when the Philadelphia Gaming Control Board gave out the licensing for five casinos in the area, they were hoping a quick opening would set the stage for income from gambling taxes. Of the five casinos however, three are up and running and the other two are still in construction stages. 

One, SugarHouse Casino hopes to be open by spring, but they are coming up against strong opposition from organizations against gambling in the area.  Protestors have made themselves obnoxiously known throughout construction, even threatening to lay in front of bulldozers to halt business. 

The three other casinos are all open for business.  They are a reasonably successful and proving that gambling is a huge pastime with citizens of ever state.  The monies projected to come in for each one are set to increase throughout coming years as casinos are working to make deeper discounts and better payouts.  Marketing officials are working overtime also to bring the best product to the market. Competition is pushing every casino to up their ante in terms of what they offer go the gambling public.