Developer: Put Philly Casino by Newspaper Building

A powerful developer wants to build a casino and entertainment complex near the headquarters for Philadelphia's two largest newspapers, an iconic building that he now owns.

Bart Blatstein owns the building that houses The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News on the northern edge of the city's downtown. He said Thursday he wants to build a casino, entertainment and retail complex on the property, turning the newspaper building into a hotel. That, however, would be contingent on his getting one of the two casino licenses currently slated for Philadelphia. The newspapers are moving their operations to rented space in a former department store downtown later this year.

Under the proposal, Blatstein said there would be a 200-room hotel in the newspaper building, with a casino located to the west of it, along with theaters, shopping and other amenities.

“This will be more than just a casino, it will be an entertainment destination that has the power to spark a new explosion of growth and investment in Philadelphia,” Blatstein said in a statement. “What we have planned will have a more significant, positive impact on our city than anything we've seen in the last 50 years.  It has the power to create thousands of jobs and generate hundreds of millions in new economic activity.”

SugarHouse Casino opened in September 2010, but the other license remains in limbo after the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revoked a license that had been issued to Foxwoods for a project in south Philadelphia. The state Supreme Court recently rejected an appeal of a lower court decision to uphold the December 2010 revocation, opening the way for rebidding the license.

After that decision, gaming board chairman William Ryan Jr. said state lawmakers will have to decide what to do with the long-stalled license.

The Gaming Act currently mandates that this Category 2 license be placed at a site in Philadelphia,'' he said in a statement then. “We recognize that the Legislature is discussing changes to the Gaming Act which may permit consideration of the placement of this fifth stand-alone casino at a location elsewhere in the Commonwealth.  It would be prudent and responsible for the Board to allow a bit more time for that legislative process to unfold rather than immediately start a new licensing proceeding.”

Pennsylvania has 11 casinos across the state, with the most recent one having opened March 31 in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge. The state recently passed New Jersey to become the nation's second-largest gambling market behind Las Vegas.