A response from Harrah's

As I said, a recent blog item on the downturn in business caught the eye of Vince Donlevie, Harrah’s senior vice president and general manager.
And a Delco guy, by the way.

We’ll run Donlevie’s response on our op-ed page in print, but because he was responding to my blog, I am going to run it here as well.

June 12, 2009



Mr. Phil Heron
Editor
Delaware County Daily Times



Dear Mr. Heron:


I read your article, "Crapping out at Harrah's?" and felt compelled to respond with the answer, "Absolutely not." In fact, Harrah's Chester has been extraordinarily successful by every meaningful measurement.
There are many factors that impact casino revenues, including competing facility openings and expansions, the addition of slot machines to existing locations and, yes, the worst economic environment in 50 years.
Yet our performance has exceeded every pre-opening projection, as well as the expectations of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the leadership of the City of Chester and the leadership of Delaware County.

In our relatively short history, Harrah's Chester has paid more than $30 million in taxes to support the city government and another $30 million to Delaware County government. These payments have allowed the city to lower taxes, provide additional services for Chester residents, make long overdue capital investments and hire more police officers. These tax revenues have also been the catalyst for further economic development in the area, such as the construction of the Philadelphia Union Major League Soccer stadium.
Harrah's Chester has been instrumental in re-establishing Chester as a leisure and entertainment center for the greater Delaware Valley. We have added high level headline entertainment with acts such as Tony Orlando, Dave Mason, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Jefferson Starship, and Chubby Checker to name a few. We have introduced world-class gaming to Chester with the premiere brand in casino entertainment, Harrah's. We have brought back live harness racing to the Delaware Valley with a world-class facility that has produced 12 World Harness records. We have created a fabulous array of outstanding dining experiences, and we have attracted more than eight million visitors to Chester in our short history.

As the city's largest private-sector employer, we provide over $37 million in wages and benefits to more than 1,000 city, county and regional residents. In addition, Harrah's Chester paid more than $354 million to local businesses during construction of our new, permanent facility, which incidentally turned a Brownfield site into a scenic waterfront environment.

Harrah's Chester has also demonstrated a deep commitment to the community. We have donated $250,000 to Delaware County Community College to support the new science, technology, engineering and mathematics complex. Just this week, we issued the second phase in our two year $200,000 college scholarship awards for Chester residents as an indication of our belief and commitment to the young adults of Chester.
At the ground breaking of our facility, we extended a check in the amount of $500,000 to the Workforce Investment Board for a workforce readiness program for Chester residents.

We built a computer lab at the YWCA, renovated the college resource center at Chester High School, and our employees participate in countless local volunteer efforts, such as the Mayor's Chester City Clean Up, Chester Senior Center Care & Share Day, and Relay for Life.
Members of our executive team serve on the boards of directors of most major philanthropic organizations in the city and county in an effort to share our intellectual resources.

These actions are in keeping with the legacy of parent company Harrah's Entertainment, which has been honored for it's philanthropic, community service and pioneering responsible gaming efforts.

The simple fact is that Harrah's Chester is providing a first-class gaming and entertainment venue, good careers and economic development opportunities to the residents of this community, significant taxes to the city and the county just as other Harrah's Entertainment properties do in their home communities. Simply put, your article couldn't have been further from the truth, and in fact it "Crapped Out".


Sincerely,
Vince Donlevie
Senior Vice President and General Manager Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack

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