fine print

by Mike Newall

Louisiana Gamble

"Well, I wish I was in New Orleans / I can see it in my dreams / Arm-in-arm down Burgundy / A bottle and my friends and me."

Tom Waits wrote that. Makes you wanna catch the next train to the Big Easy, doesn't it?

Last week, 175 important city suits gathered in the opulence of the Union League to discuss, over breakfast, what Philly could learn from the "New Orleans experience."

Put your tongues back in your mouths. Nobody's thinking of remodeling East of Broad into a French Quarter or dreaming up ways to make Fat Tuesday celebrations more decadent. The symposium was part of a series of forums on the impending arrival of the gaming industry in Philadelphia.

Last Wednesday's meeting, sponsored by Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and CoreNet Global of Greater Philadelphia, dealt with how Philly could milk the most money out of the gaming industry while minimizing the headache — traffic, crime, etc. — inflicted on its denizens.

For those of you still hung over from last Mardi Gras, the state legislature green-lighted slots gambling last summer, allowing for 61,000 machines at 14 different sites. State racetracks should have slots parlors sometime this year. By late 2006, the first of Philly's two slots parlors will open.

"This is a major issue," said Elise Vider, a spokeswoman for the CPDC. "It's important to start a public dialogue, to pose questions and have the public start discussing this."

(The breakfast was open to the public. Tickets were a mere 50 bucks — $35 if you registered early.)

The big question now facing the state gaming commission is where to put the first of these new slots casinos: Center City, where it could complement existing touring attractions, or on the waterfront, where it could spur a whole new entertainment and tourism sector.

A decision is expected by summer.

Warren Reuther, former chairman of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, was invited to give his opinion: "I would put it right in the heart of all the activity."

In the late 1990s, Harrah's opened a 100,000-square-foot casino just a few blocks from the heart of downtown New Orleans.

The casino, which is not limited to slots gambling, has been a gold mine for New Orleans: Harrah's contributes $12 million in yearly rent to city coffers, $1 million a year to the city marketing fund, and has brought millions in additional revenue to local restaurants and hotels.

"They have become a booming partner to the existing entertainment and tourism industry," said Reuther, adding that crime and traffic have not been a problem. "Philadelphia and New Orleans are similar cities. We're both compact and offer lots of different attractions. Putting the casino right down in the middle of the city has worked for us. But you guys have to figure out what works for you."

The last of the "Gaming in Philadelphia" breakfast forums will be held Tue., Feb. 1., 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at The Union League, 140 S. Broad St., www.centercityphila.org.