The Slot Thickens

In some cities, if the mayor’s brother was recently indicted for corruption, you would think the mayor would try to avoid any conflicts of interest, anything out of the ordinary. The mayor might not even jaywalk. But not in Philadelphia. Not John Street.

Yesterday, the city and Riverwalk Casino/Planet Hollywood/Sylvester Stallone announced that the casino would be sponsoring the New Year’s Eve fireworks.

The money comes with no strings attached, and John Street said it wasn’t a conflict of interest, but then again, this is John Street. And, as Daily News reporters Damon Williams and Chris Brennan report that, uh, it is a conflict of interest.

Street, during a Penn’s Landing Corp. meeting last December, cast the deciding vote to give Riverwalk a long-term lease on the site so the investors could seek a gaming license.

Yesterday Street met with four of the five casino applicants and will meet with the fifth today to hear updates on their plans and on how they will address concerns of the communities involved.

Sometime in the next two weeks, Street will let the state Gaming Control Board, members of the Legislature and Gov. Rendell know what he thinks of the applicants.

@)*@RFJK:LS@)#* @*(@(@(JSDFJKLFDS

Sorry, I was banging my head on the keyboard there. But we serfs don’t get to decide things like where casinos should be or who will be the next mayor and whatnot. Hope you enjoy the Riverwalk Casino! But, as Important Officials keep telling us, the show must go on! Because, really, why are we doing it? Oh, of course:

Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., sees the fireworks as a way to boost tourism. “This started in 1991 as a way to celebrate the Bicentennial,” Levitz said.

Casino applicant to fund fireworks [Daily News]
Yesterday: Welcome, Our Planet Hollywood Casino Overlords

Welcome, Our Planet Hollywood Casino Overlords

Hey, kids, do you like Planet Hollywood? Do you like throwing away your money down little coin slots? Do you like free alcoholic beverages?

If you answered yes to any or all of those, then will you be pumped for the upcoming Planet Hollywood casino! (Hey, we’re going to hold Stallone to his promise to move to the city now.)

Of course, the official slots licenses haven’t been awarded yet. But somebody knows something, because Mayor Street has allowed the Planet Hollywood Riverwalk Casino to sponsor the New Year’s Eve fireworks!

Street actually toasted the casino’s owners for paying for it, which is kind of funny in light of the city turning down DC Shoes’ offer of $1 million for upkeep of LOVE Park if skateboarding were allowed there again. But, then again, white suburban kids don’t have any money of their own, so it makes sense.

Street shot down anyone who thought it was a conflict of interest:

Mayor Street says he’s not concerned about the appearance of any conflict of interest: “The City of Philadelphia, through the Penn’s Landing Corporation, has a contract with these people. They’re sitting on a city site. So we don’t think it’s a problem.”

Wait, what? That’s his rebuttal? That makes it seem like more of a conflict of interest, if anything. He might as well have responded “Yabba Dabba Doo!” or “Gabba Gabba Hey!” or “Everyone knows that time is Death, that Death hides in clocks. Imposing another time powered by the Clock of the Imagination, however, can refuse his law. Here, freed of the Grim Reaper’s scythe, we learn that pain is knowledge and all knowledge pain.”

Sure, they’re all nonsensical replies, but they make about as much sense as our mayor’s original statement.

But, y’know, oh well. At least it’s not another inexplicable PECO sponsorship of something.

Phila. Casino Applicant Will Pay for New Year’s Fireworks
Nov. 14: Stallone Lets Us Know Which Casino To Oppose

Leftovers: I See… Oh, Forget It

• Whoever’s doing headlines on Philly.com passes on the obvious joke about Haley Joel Osment’s arrest — that’d be something along the lines of “I see drunk people” — and goes with “I see handcuffs.” Oy. [AP/Philly.com]

• The Eagles lose in preseason action, 20-10, to the Ravens, but the first teamers were ahead at halftime. On the downside, the Eagles receivers apparently have no hands. [Daily News]

• Now who ever would have thought a Planet Hollywood casino would have a bad design? I mean, really? [Inquirer]

• Great. Just when we forgot about flash mobs, a group wants to have a multi-lingual ordering mob at Geno’s. Come to think of it, we forgot about this whole Geno’s thing, too. Thanks a lot, flash mobbers. [Philebrity]

Slot machine fever!

Despite what you may personally feel about slot machines coming to Pennsylvania, you have to admit one thing: self-help guru Pat Croce investing in slot machines is almost as funny as Bill Cosby telling people to speak correctly. Because there’s nothing that says “self-help” like “throwing your money away into a little box.”

Yesterday was the state-imposed deadline for companies to submit proposals for slots parlors, and there are five companies vying for deals — and none of the places these companies want to put the parlors are at the most logical spot across from the Convention Center. (Sorry, Funk-O-Mart, I love you, but if you have to go, you have to go.)

The five companies who applied for licenses in Philadelphia are:

• Foxwoods Development: Controlled by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the group is partnering with local investors (Ed Snider, Billy King, ex-Phillies centerfielder Garry Maddox) to build a $350 million casino on the Delaware Riverfront between Reed and Tasker streets.
• Pinnacle Entertainment: This Las Vegas-based company wants to build its casino in Fishtown. It’d include 3,000 slot machines, bars and restaurants and a movie theater.
• Donald Trump: This is the Pat Croce-backed plan. To be called TrumpStreet — sigh — it’d be at the former Budd Company location in Nicetown.
• Planet Hollywood: This is the Delaware river casino on the former city incinerator site. They’re going to call it “Riverwalk.”
• Sugar House Gaming: This company wants to build a $450 million casino on the Delaware riverfront.

None of these, with the possible exception of the Fishtown plan, seems all that great. But this is Philadelphia! What did you expect? Two proposals will be approved, in the obvious short turnaround of 12 months.

Placing their bets [Inky]