Casinos

Steve Wynn Planning ‘Cutest Little Casino’ for South Philly

A Bellagio on the Delaware, not so much
A Bellagio on the Delaware, not so much

Vegas mogul and former Penn Kid Steve Wynn, revealed more detailed information about his plans for the Foxwoods Casino site in South Philadelphia during a conference call with stock analysts. Both the Inky and the Daily News covered it and the news is… weird. How weird? How’s this? Wynn says he wants to build “the cutest casino you’ve ever seen.”

According to both papers, Wynn is also scrapping plans for a hotel at the site; the new casino will have a local focus, rather than catering to high-rollers as a “destination resort.” Which locals will it cater to, since there’s already Parx Casino up in Bensalem catering to all manner of locals? The Inquirer quotes him:

He said the area was “all full of my old friends - the Italians and Jews and every conceivable type of ethnic group that likes to play craps and gamble - and they’re only 10 minutes away.”

“I love the proximity of the Vietnamese neighborhood, and I’m going to put in a Vietnamese restaurant for them,” he said.

Other restaurant plans include a steakhouse, Italian restaurant and Asian noodle house.

“Cute” is not necessarily a word one would associate with any kind of casino, but associating it with a project that is now being substantially downgraded sure makes it seem like a euphemism for “small, slapdash and gross.”

Of course, all of this depends on the Gaming Control Board approving Wynn’s involvement.


Wynn outlines plan for Foxwoods Casino
[Inquirer]
Wynn says he’ll build ‘the cutest casino’: But his plans don’t include high-rise hotel [Daily News]

Steve Wynn Planning ‘Cutest Little Casino’ for South Philly