The foxwoodspa.com website says it all – Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia: ‘site under construction’. Way back in December 2006, Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners was awarded one of the five stand-alone slots licences for its project in South Philadelphia on the Delaware River. To be operated by Foxwoods Development, the casino was expected to open in November 2008. Since then, opposition from locals and councilors and funding difficulties have delayed the project – in April 2007 Philadelphia City Council approved a zoning change aimed at barring Foxwoods Casino from developing a slots operation on its land on Delaware Avenue; and in June the same year the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected an appeal by a group of residents and civic associations trying to prevent the casino development.

In October 2007 the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board denied a request by Foxwoods Casino for an extension of time to pay the US$50 million licence fee. The PGCB decided in a 6-0 vote that “the delays to gain all necessary approvals required to begin construction should not have been unexpected.” Not far short of three years later, yesterday the PGCB refused to allow the company three more months to martial its defence of its casino licence. Instead Foxwoods has been given two weeks to compile its facts.

For a short time earlier this year it appeared that Steve Wynn was riding to the rescue of the financially troubled project. The Mashantucket Pequots have been badly affected by the economic downturn despite owning the huge Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. When Wynn abruptly withdrew just three days after presenting his plan to the PGCB, the process to revoke the Foxwoods licence moved forward, as did the a bill introduced by State Senator John Wozniak to move the licence to Johnstown, in his district.

The PGCB has been informed by the local investors in the Foxwoods Casino project that a new deal is expected to be signed next week. The new partner is rumoured to be Harrah’s Entertainment, which operates the casino in Chester, but so far no one is commenting. In the meantime the delay is not coming cheap – for not meeting the development deadline the investors are being fined US$2,000 per day. (E-07.30.10)

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