SugarHouse Casino Drops Lawsuit, New Casino Coming To Philly

After nearly three years of obstacles, the state of Philadelphia can anticipate the arrival of their 13th casino. The new casino will be the second casino to be built in Philadelphia.

SugarHouse Versus Live! Philadelphia

Live! Hotel & Casino Philadelphia won the bid for Pennsylvania’s 13th casino license in November of 2014. Why then, has it been three years without a groundbreaking ceremony or any type of progression on the project? That would be because of SugarHouse, Philly’s original casino licensee that was against the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s plan to award a second casino license from the beginning.

Though SugarHouse was unable to stop Stadium Casino LLP - a joint venture between Cordish Companies and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment – from obtaining the license, they did file suit accordingly.

Stadium Casino LLP operates Parx Casino in Bucks County, which is majority owned by Watche Manoukian. At the time of the lawsuit, PA law prohibited majority casino owners from holding more than 1/3rd ownership in additional gaming establishments. This gave SugarHouse the grounds it needed to challenge the legitimacy of the newly awarded casino license.

Though the legal matter volleyed back and forth between the state courts and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for years, the issue effectively came to end on Monday.

PA Governor Tom Wolf signed a new gambling expansion bill that repealed the portion of the law that contained ownership provisions. On Wednesday, SugarHouse dropped its lawsuit that relied heavily on this clause.

Welcome, Philly Live! Casino

Stadium Casino LLP can now pay their $50 mil license fee to begin executing the master plan that was approved in October 2015. The developers are expected to pay by November 15th, with construction on the project expected to begin shortly thereafter.

The budget for the new Live! Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia is $600 million and the gaming floor will have 2,000 slot machines along with 125 table games. The boutique hotel will boast 220 rooms, world-renowned restaurants, and live entertainment facilities.

Gambling Legislation & Sports Betting In PA

The gambling packaged signed by Gov. Wolf not only cleared the way for the construction of the Live! Hotel & Casino Philadelphia, it included other major developments for the state.

The legislation legalizes daily fantasy sports, approves online gambling, authorizes satellite casinos, and permits video gaming terminals (VGT) at truck stops. There are 12 licenses available for online slots, poker, and table games, which means we can expect the new law to be amended once Live! Philadelphia is expected to launch.

The piece of the gaming bill that is most intriguing is its provisions for regulated sports betting. Under the new gaming law, sports betting would become legal in the state should the federal ban on sports wagering be lifted.

That means that Philly Live! and other PA casinos would be able to pay a $10 mil licensing fee and offer sports betting at their establishments. The location of Philly Live! would put the sportsbook in close proximity to the stadiums where the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers play.

Though residents looking for legal betting sites should not expect to have access to Philly-based sportsbooks anytime soon, it is very likely that wagering on teams from a casino or the stadiums will be a reality in the future.