Waterfront casino launches in Phila. | courierpostonline.com | Courier-Post.
Waterfront casino launches in Phila.
The newly open SugarHouse casino, on Delaware Avenue in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, has 40 table games. (AL SCHELL/Courier-Post)
By EILEEN STILWELL ? Courier-Post Staff ? September 17, 2010
PHILADELPHIA ? Small wonder the logo for SugarHouse Casino on North Delaware Avenue features three lucky sevens on the Ben Franklin Bridge.
With the casino's opening Thursday, management wants to lure gamblers from the tri-state area into Philadelphia's first casino with the slogan: Philly Loves a Winner.
Located a mile north of the bridge in the city's Fishtown neighborhood, the ultramodern, $390 million venue expects to take another bite out of Atlantic City, which already is bleeding billions from mounting competition.
SugarHouse is no mere slots barn. In addition to 1,600 slot machines, it has 40 table games -- including blackjack, craps, roulette, and three kinds of poker. It also offers free parking.
"It would be impossible to imagine that our opening and other casinos in the region won't impact the casinos there," said Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse, referring to the city where she spent 12 years working for Harrah's Entertainment before moving to Philadelphia Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa.
"Atlantic City is in a tough spot. Eventually, it will find its way and emerge as a different kind of resort than it is today.
"But we're not spending a lot of time these days thinking about it."
Hamilton and her staff of 800 full-time employees are putting the finishing touches on what she calls a "boutique, high-end casino" about half the size of Parx and its neighbor, Harrah's in Chester, Pa.
More than 20,000 people applied for those 800 jobs, but there are more to come, Hamilton promised.
For Steve Forchetti, who lost his job with a mortgage company during the housing downturn, SugarHouse was a "godsend."
"This is a whole new industry that has given me two months of training to be a dealer," said Forchetti, standing behind a card table fully loaded with $770,000 in chips.
"I am really excited."
The 24-hour casino covers about two of 26 acres near Frankford Avenue. It is owned by a limited partnership that includes Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm and a couple of local investors, including lawyer Richard Sprague, developer Daniel Keating and auto magnate Robert Potamkin. That partnership owns SugarHouse and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
While there is plenty of room to expand in Philadelphia, Hamilton said it depends on how well the casino does. The company expects to welcome 2 million visitors a year and generate $16 million annually in taxes and fees to the city. Licensees in Philadelphia must pay a 55 percent tax on gross revenues
This year, SugarHouse expects to donate about $675,000 to the Penn Treaty special services fund and $1 million each year thereafter. A committee of local residents decides how the money should be spent.
"We want to be a good neighbor," said Hamilton, adding the company has spent $4.5 million on landscaping and hardscaping the casino's exterior. The public is invited to explore the grounds, which offer a stunning view of the bridge and the Camden Waterfront whether or not they enter the casino.
Though no trace of the site's former owner, the Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, remains, the casino embraces its roots. Its main 365-seat restaurant, which includes a bar where patrons can play video poker, is called The Refinery. A take-away food station is called Jack's. Both have walls that open onto the waterfront and patio dining.
"No high-end dining here," said Brent Hinz, food and beverage manager.
"Just burgers and fries for $8, sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks -- good food from as many local vendors as we could find."
Hinz expects to need 1,500 pounds of hamburger meat and 3,000 rolls a day.
"Rolls come from LeBus and Amoroso bakeries," he said. "Lunch meat is Dietz and Watson. And as much meat as we can get comes from the Wells Company, just across the street."
The Fishtown Stacker, a cod sandwich in a remoulade sauce, is a salute to the once-gritty residential neighborhood that is seeing pockets of new investment.
Smoking, a hot button issue in Atlantic City, is permitted in about 25 percent of the casino. As for parents who leave children unattended in the parking lot while they feed slot machines -- behavior reported several times at Parx -- Hamilton praised SugarHouse security.
Small wonder the logo for SugarHouse Casino on North Delaware Avenue features three lucky sevens on the Ben Franklin Bridge.
With the casino's opening Thursday, management wants to lure gamblers from the tri-state area into Philadelphia's first casino with the slogan: Philly Loves a Winner.
Located a mile north of the bridge in the city's Fishtown neighborhood, the ultramodern, $390 million venue expects to take another bite out of Atlantic City, which already is bleeding billions from mounting competition.
SugarHouse is no mere slots barn. In addition to 1,600 slot machines, it has 40 table games -- including blackjack, craps, roulette, and three kinds of poker. It also offers free parking.
"It would be impossible to imagine that our opening and other casinos in the region won't impact the casinos there," said Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse, referring to the city where she spent 12 years working for Harrah's Entertainment before moving to Philadelphia Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa.
"Atlantic City is in a tough spot. Eventually, it will find its way and emerge as a different kind of resort than it is today.
"But we're not spending a lot of time these days thinking about it."
Hamilton and her staff of 800 full-time employees are putting the finishing touches on what she calls a "boutique, high-end casino" about half the size of Parx and its neighbor, Harrah's in Chester, Pa.
More than 20,000 people applied for those 800 jobs, but there are more to come, Hamilton promised.
For Steve Forchetti, who lost his job with a mortgage company during the housing downturn, SugarHouse was a "godsend."
"This is a whole new industry that has given me two months of training to be a dealer," said Forchetti, standing behind a card table fully loaded with $770,000 in chips.
"I am really excited."
The 24-hour casino covers about two of 26 acres near Frankford Avenue. It is owned by a limited partnership that includes Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm and a couple of local investors, including lawyer Richard Sprague, developer Daniel Keating and auto magnate Robert Potamkin. That partnership owns SugarHouse and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
While there is plenty of room to expand in Philadelphia, Hamilton said it depends on how well the casino does. The company expects to welcome 2 million visitors a year and generate $16 million annually in taxes and fees to the city. Licensees in Philadelphia must pay a 55 percent tax on gross revenues.
This year, SugarHouse expects to donate about $675,000 to the Penn Treaty special services fund and $1 million each year thereafter. A committee of local residents decides how the money should be spent.
"We want to be a good neighbor," said Hamilton, adding the company has spent $4.5 million on landscaping and hardscaping the casino's exterior. The public is invited to explore the grounds, which offer a stunning view of the bridge and the Camden Waterfront whether or not they enter the casino.
Though no trace of the site's former owner, the Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, remains, the casino embraces its roots. Its main 365-seat restaurant, which includes a bar where patrons can play video poker, is called The Refinery. A take-away food station is called Jack's. Both have walls that open onto the waterfront and patio dining.
"No high-end dining here," said Brent Hinz, food and beverage manager.
"Just burgers and fries for $8, sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks -- good food from as many local vendors as we could find."
Hinz expects to need 1,500 pounds of hamburger meat and 3,000 rolls a day.
"Rolls come from LeBus and Amoroso bakeries," he said. "Lunch meat is Dietz and Watson. And as much meat as we can get comes from the Wells Company, just across the street."
The Fishtown Stacker, a cod sandwich in a remoulade sauce, is a salute to the once-gritty residential neighborhood that is seeing pockets of new investment.
Smoking, a hot button issue in Atlantic City, is permitted in about 25 percent of the casino. As for parents who leave children unattended in the parking lot while they feed slot machines -- behavior reported several times at Parx -- Hamilton praised SugarHouse security.
"We can't stop parents from making bad decisions," he said, "but we have a bike team of guards in the parking lots and 508 security cameras throughout the property to maintain the safety of our guests and the company's assets.
"Everything that goes on here is on tape."
Meryl Levitz of Cherry Hill, president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., said the concentration of three casinos within a 30-mile radius has prompted her staff to add a new gambling category to its website.
"It will be interesting to see if the three casinos engage in group marketing, or will they continue to work on their own identity?"
"We see gaming as another entertainment option for people," Levitz added. "We don't think it will cause an avalanche of new tourists, though it will attract people in the beginning because it's on the water and because it is a novelty."
"It's not what they do the first year, but how they build on that in subsequent years. Hopefully, SugarHouse will be a good waterfront neighbor."
The difference between the Pennsylvania casinos and Atlantic City is a matter of scale, said gaming analyst Joe Weinert of the Spectrum Gaming Group.
"It's difficult to say if SugarHouse will expand the market, or cannibalize Harrah's, Parx and Atlantic City," he explained.
"SugarHouse will start out relatively small with limited service. It will be for people who want to gamble and grab a meal, as opposed to A.C. gamblers who want to get away for a day or more and have a true resort experience."
Time will tell, said Roger Gros, editor of Global Gaming Business magazine.
"While these casinos look really good right now, we'll see what happens when it comes time to reinvest capital.
"That 55 percent tax rate is pretty hefty. In four or five years these places will look pretty worn," he added.
Reach Eileen Stilwell at (856) 486-2464 or estilwell@courierpostonline.com
Waterfront casino launches in Phila.
The newly open SugarHouse casino, on Delaware Avenue in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, has 40 table games. (AL SCHELL/Courier-Post)
By EILEEN STILWELL ? Courier-Post Staff ? September 17, 2010
PHILADELPHIA ? Small wonder the logo for SugarHouse Casino on North Delaware Avenue features three lucky sevens on the Ben Franklin Bridge.
With the casino's opening Thursday, management wants to lure gamblers from the tri-state area into Philadelphia's first casino with the slogan: Philly Loves a Winner.
Located a mile north of the bridge in the city's Fishtown neighborhood, the ultramodern, $390 million venue expects to take another bite out of Atlantic City, which already is bleeding billions from mounting competition.
SugarHouse is no mere slots barn. In addition to 1,600 slot machines, it has 40 table games -- including blackjack, craps, roulette, and three kinds of poker. It also offers free parking.
"It would be impossible to imagine that our opening and other casinos in the region won't impact the casinos there," said Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse, referring to the city where she spent 12 years working for Harrah's Entertainment before moving to Philadelphia Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa.
"Atlantic City is in a tough spot. Eventually, it will find its way and emerge as a different kind of resort than it is today.
"But we're not spending a lot of time these days thinking about it."
Hamilton and her staff of 800 full-time employees are putting the finishing touches on what she calls a "boutique, high-end casino" about half the size of Parx and its neighbor, Harrah's in Chester, Pa.
More than 20,000 people applied for those 800 jobs, but there are more to come, Hamilton promised.
For Steve Forchetti, who lost his job with a mortgage company during the housing downturn, SugarHouse was a "godsend."
"This is a whole new industry that has given me two months of training to be a dealer," said Forchetti, standing behind a card table fully loaded with $770,000 in chips.
"I am really excited."
The 24-hour casino covers about two of 26 acres near Frankford Avenue. It is owned by a limited partnership that includes Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm and a couple of local investors, including lawyer Richard Sprague, developer Daniel Keating and auto magnate Robert Potamkin. That partnership owns SugarHouse and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
While there is plenty of room to expand in Philadelphia, Hamilton said it depends on how well the casino does. The company expects to welcome 2 million visitors a year and generate $16 million annually in taxes and fees to the city. Licensees in Philadelphia must pay a 55 percent tax on gross revenues
This year, SugarHouse expects to donate about $675,000 to the Penn Treaty special services fund and $1 million each year thereafter. A committee of local residents decides how the money should be spent.
"We want to be a good neighbor," said Hamilton, adding the company has spent $4.5 million on landscaping and hardscaping the casino's exterior. The public is invited to explore the grounds, which offer a stunning view of the bridge and the Camden Waterfront whether or not they enter the casino.
Though no trace of the site's former owner, the Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, remains, the casino embraces its roots. Its main 365-seat restaurant, which includes a bar where patrons can play video poker, is called The Refinery. A take-away food station is called Jack's. Both have walls that open onto the waterfront and patio dining.
"No high-end dining here," said Brent Hinz, food and beverage manager.
"Just burgers and fries for $8, sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks -- good food from as many local vendors as we could find."
Hinz expects to need 1,500 pounds of hamburger meat and 3,000 rolls a day.
"Rolls come from LeBus and Amoroso bakeries," he said. "Lunch meat is Dietz and Watson. And as much meat as we can get comes from the Wells Company, just across the street."
The Fishtown Stacker, a cod sandwich in a remoulade sauce, is a salute to the once-gritty residential neighborhood that is seeing pockets of new investment.
Smoking, a hot button issue in Atlantic City, is permitted in about 25 percent of the casino. As for parents who leave children unattended in the parking lot while they feed slot machines -- behavior reported several times at Parx -- Hamilton praised SugarHouse security.
Small wonder the logo for SugarHouse Casino on North Delaware Avenue features three lucky sevens on the Ben Franklin Bridge.
With the casino's opening Thursday, management wants to lure gamblers from the tri-state area into Philadelphia's first casino with the slogan: Philly Loves a Winner.
Located a mile north of the bridge in the city's Fishtown neighborhood, the ultramodern, $390 million venue expects to take another bite out of Atlantic City, which already is bleeding billions from mounting competition.
SugarHouse is no mere slots barn. In addition to 1,600 slot machines, it has 40 table games -- including blackjack, craps, roulette, and three kinds of poker. It also offers free parking.
"It would be impossible to imagine that our opening and other casinos in the region won't impact the casinos there," said Wendy Hamilton, general manager of SugarHouse, referring to the city where she spent 12 years working for Harrah's Entertainment before moving to Philadelphia Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa.
"Atlantic City is in a tough spot. Eventually, it will find its way and emerge as a different kind of resort than it is today.
"But we're not spending a lot of time these days thinking about it."
Hamilton and her staff of 800 full-time employees are putting the finishing touches on what she calls a "boutique, high-end casino" about half the size of Parx and its neighbor, Harrah's in Chester, Pa.
More than 20,000 people applied for those 800 jobs, but there are more to come, Hamilton promised.
For Steve Forchetti, who lost his job with a mortgage company during the housing downturn, SugarHouse was a "godsend."
"This is a whole new industry that has given me two months of training to be a dealer," said Forchetti, standing behind a card table fully loaded with $770,000 in chips.
"I am really excited."
The 24-hour casino covers about two of 26 acres near Frankford Avenue. It is owned by a limited partnership that includes Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm and a couple of local investors, including lawyer Richard Sprague, developer Daniel Keating and auto magnate Robert Potamkin. That partnership owns SugarHouse and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
While there is plenty of room to expand in Philadelphia, Hamilton said it depends on how well the casino does. The company expects to welcome 2 million visitors a year and generate $16 million annually in taxes and fees to the city. Licensees in Philadelphia must pay a 55 percent tax on gross revenues.
This year, SugarHouse expects to donate about $675,000 to the Penn Treaty special services fund and $1 million each year thereafter. A committee of local residents decides how the money should be spent.
"We want to be a good neighbor," said Hamilton, adding the company has spent $4.5 million on landscaping and hardscaping the casino's exterior. The public is invited to explore the grounds, which offer a stunning view of the bridge and the Camden Waterfront whether or not they enter the casino.
Though no trace of the site's former owner, the Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, remains, the casino embraces its roots. Its main 365-seat restaurant, which includes a bar where patrons can play video poker, is called The Refinery. A take-away food station is called Jack's. Both have walls that open onto the waterfront and patio dining.
"No high-end dining here," said Brent Hinz, food and beverage manager.
"Just burgers and fries for $8, sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks -- good food from as many local vendors as we could find."
Hinz expects to need 1,500 pounds of hamburger meat and 3,000 rolls a day.
"Rolls come from LeBus and Amoroso bakeries," he said. "Lunch meat is Dietz and Watson. And as much meat as we can get comes from the Wells Company, just across the street."
The Fishtown Stacker, a cod sandwich in a remoulade sauce, is a salute to the once-gritty residential neighborhood that is seeing pockets of new investment.
Smoking, a hot button issue in Atlantic City, is permitted in about 25 percent of the casino. As for parents who leave children unattended in the parking lot while they feed slot machines -- behavior reported several times at Parx -- Hamilton praised SugarHouse security.
"We can't stop parents from making bad decisions," he said, "but we have a bike team of guards in the parking lots and 508 security cameras throughout the property to maintain the safety of our guests and the company's assets.
"Everything that goes on here is on tape."
Meryl Levitz of Cherry Hill, president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., said the concentration of three casinos within a 30-mile radius has prompted her staff to add a new gambling category to its website.
"It will be interesting to see if the three casinos engage in group marketing, or will they continue to work on their own identity?"
"We see gaming as another entertainment option for people," Levitz added. "We don't think it will cause an avalanche of new tourists, though it will attract people in the beginning because it's on the water and because it is a novelty."
"It's not what they do the first year, but how they build on that in subsequent years. Hopefully, SugarHouse will be a good waterfront neighbor."
The difference between the Pennsylvania casinos and Atlantic City is a matter of scale, said gaming analyst Joe Weinert of the Spectrum Gaming Group.
"It's difficult to say if SugarHouse will expand the market, or cannibalize Harrah's, Parx and Atlantic City," he explained.
"SugarHouse will start out relatively small with limited service. It will be for people who want to gamble and grab a meal, as opposed to A.C. gamblers who want to get away for a day or more and have a true resort experience."
Time will tell, said Roger Gros, editor of Global Gaming Business magazine.
"While these casinos look really good right now, we'll see what happens when it comes time to reinvest capital.
"That 55 percent tax rate is pretty hefty. In four or five years these places will look pretty worn," he added.
Reach Eileen Stilwell at (856) 486-2464 or estilwell@courierpostonline.com
