Philadelphia's First Casino Plans for Sept. 23rd Opening

The Sugarhouse casino has announced the dates for testing of Pennsylvania's newest gambling house -- and the charities that will be benefit -- before a permanent opening planned for September 23rd.

KYW's Tony Romeo reports that Sugarhouse will conduct two days of testing with several thousand invited guests as patrons on September 20th and 22nd, with an off day in between so that any issues that arise on the first day can be addressed.

Assuming the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board gives its permission, Sugarhouse general manager Wendy Hamilton says, the casino will open to general public at 1pm on September 23rd:

"It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? (laughs)  Yes, we're really excited. It's less than a month now, and so we have a lot going over here at the Sugarhouse offices. It was a long road, and we're going to make sure it was worth it."

The Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the Fraternal Order of Police Survivors' Fund,  the Greater Philadelphia Traditions Fund, and the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Fund will share in the proceeds from the testing days.

(Photo by KYW's Paul Kurtz)