Pennsylvania court shoots down anti-casino group

2007-06-07 16:49:51

The creation of a new casino in South Philadelphia looks increasingly likely after a campaign group lost its appeal at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

A group of residents and civic associations have been trying to prevent the building of Foxwoods Casino but justices said that they did not have legal standing to challenge the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's licensing decision.

Campaigners had based on their challenge on the argument that the gaming board's decision was made illegally due to conflicts of interest.

The court's ruling against Queen Village Neighbors Association, Society Hill Civic Association, Pennsport Civic Association and Whitman Council, was welcomed by the developers &ndash Foxwoods and SugarHouse Casino.

Maureen Garrity, a spokeswoman for Foxwoods, told the Philadelphia Daily News: "We're encouraged by the Supreme Court's ruling and the removal of one more barrier to our project.

"We hope that this development paves the way for the start of productive conversations with these community groups."

However, several other groups in Philadelphia have filed challenges, while a rival casino group is claiming that the board wrongly awarded two licenses to Foxwoods and SugarHouse.


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