A couple of years ago, Harrah's, the people who run the casino in Chester, decided to drop the city's name from its moniker.
They're now known as Harrah's Philadelphia, even though I take every opportunity to point out they are still located in Chester, even if they are within spitting distance of the Eddystone line.
This morning Harrah's probably is not all that enamored of its Philly ties.
That's because they have new competition.
Despite a full-court press by Chester city and county officials, the state Gaming Control Board yesterday awarded the second gaming license for Philadelphia to a group that wants to build a casino near the South Philly sports complex.
Live! Hotel & Casino is ticketed for the site of the Holiday Inn and Packer and Darien Street, basically across the street from the stadiums.
And just a short, 12-mile ride up I-95 from Harrah's.
It is being backed by Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment Inc., which runs Parx Casino in Bucks County, and the Cordish Group.
Delaware County Council urged the Gaming Control Board to delay their decision. It also was opposed by Chester Mayor John Linder and state Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, of Chester. Harrah's, which has seen revenue in a steady decline, said the addition of another casino that close would be ominous.
Well, it just got ominous.
County Councilman John McBLain, who has become the voice of County Council in this battle, was at the Convention Center downtown for yesterday's announcement.
That's him on today's Page One, right under the headline, "Snake Eyes."
That's not a reference to McBlain, rather the fact that the county was dealt a losing hand.
The economic effect will reverberate through Chester and the county.
Harrah's and local officials argued that the region had reached the "saturation point," in terms of gaming, and the addition of another casino would simply amount to "cannibalizing" the existing gaming meccas. In other word, instead of creating new customers, the new spot would simply attract existing ones from other gaming halls.
I guess the folks at SugarHouse, the city's existing casino, which is just a little farther up I-95, feel the same way.
Will yesterday's ruling be appealed, and eventually wind up in court.
I think you can bet on it.
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