Jennifer Lin of the Philly Inquirer reports today.
The faltering Foxwoods casino would get an extra year to be up and running under a provision tucked into a bill to add table games at Pennsylvania slots parlors. Foxwoods faces a state-imposed deadline to have 1,500 slot machines operating by May 2011 on the Delaware riverfront in South Philadelphia. But the project partners have yet to present a plan for the casino's design or its financing.
While not mentioning Foxwoods by name, the provision - inserted into a 113-page amendment - could push back the deadline to May 2012.
The sponsor of the gaming-bill amendment is House Majority Leader Todd Eachus (D., Luzerne). His spokesman, Brett Marcy, said he did not know who had added the provision.
In practical terms, it would affect only Foxwoods.
Of 11 large slots parlors that received licenses from the state, the two in Philadelphia are not yet open: SugarHouse and Foxwoods.
SugarHouse broke ground along the Delaware in October; it expects to have 1,800 slot machines in operation next year.
Foxwoods sought, and was granted, a two-year extension by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in August. The provision would allow for a three-year extension.
Foxwoods spokesman and attorney Stephen A. Cozen did not return phone calls or respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Paul Boni, an anti-gaming activist with Casino-Free Philadelphia, called the proposal a "bailout" for Foxwoods.
Foxwoods has until Dec. 1 to present architectural drawings of its casino to the gaming control board. Last month, the partners informed the board that they were running into problems raising money for the project and might have to build a temporary casino to meet the state's 2011 deadline.
Gov. Rendell recently said such a structure would face resistance from the gaming board.
The idea of another extension for Foxwoods, however, ruffled several legislators.
Sen. Larry Farnese, a Philadelphia Democrat whose district includes the Foxwoods site on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia, said the developers had not demonstrated that they could finish the project.
"They've done nothing but ask for more time," Farnese said.
Rep. Curt Schroder of Chester County, the Republican chairman of the House gaming oversight committee, said he would rather see the gaming board "start from scratch" and put the license out to bid again, instead of changing the gaming law to give Foxwoods more time.
"I see no reason to continue giving favored treatment to these companies," Schroder said.
The provision is part of an overall House amendment to a Senate bill to allow casinos to have table games. Rendell is depending on new revenue from games such as roulette, blackjack, and poker to balance the state's budget.
Marcy said the amendment currently being worked on in the House included input from the Republican and Democratic caucuses in the House and Senate.
The overall amendment, as well as the Senate version of the gaming bill, must be approved by the House before being returned to the Senate for a vote.
In December 2006, a group including the charitable interests of local entrepreneurs Lewis Katz, Ron Rubin, and Ed Snider won a slots license for the city of Philadelphia. Last year, facing political and community opposition, that group proposed relocating the project to Center City, but the gaming board forced it back to the South Philadelphia waterfront in August.
Rep. Michael O'Brien (D., Phila.) said the Pennsylvania legislature approved gambling in 2004 to raise revenue for the state and should not deviate from that mandate by giving Foxwoods even more of an extension.
"If there was a time we needed revenue, it's now," O'Brien said. "Foxwoods has been dormant. Is it a viable entity producing revenue for the commonwealth? If it's not, shouldn't we cut away the dead wood?" Contact staff writer Jennifer Lin at 215-854-5659 or jlin@phillynews.com.
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The Pa Gaming Control Board approved the extension request of Foxwoods Casino, the partnership has until May 2011 to open it's doors at the river location.