I'm going to win something,” said Lucinda Clark, 70, as she sat down at a John Wayne-themed slot machine. Traffic was snarled outside the casino and the parking lot was full as gamblers came by car, by bus and by taxi to try their luck. The business pushes Philadelphia (population 1.55 million) past Detroit (population 910,000) to become the nation's largest city with casino gambling. The casino conducted test runs of the games on Monday and Wednesday, with the proceeds going to charity, before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board gave it permission to open. Lawmakers and officials, in brief remarks before the opening, praised the creation of some 900 jobs and other economic benefits that came with the project. “SugarHouse is the place to be in Philadelphia,” said General Manager Wendy Hamilton. They waited in the heat more than an hour, some chanting “Let us in,” before the doors opened and they got a chance to play among the 1,600 slot machines and 40 table games.Ī string band entertained and a Benjamin Franklin lookalike - led by a fife-and-drum corps and flanked by two showgirls clad in feathers and sequins _ presented executives with a ceremonial key to the casino. SugarHouse Casino drew a raucous crowd of well over a thousand people to the Delaware River waterfront. city with a casino when Pennsylvania's 10th gambling hall opened despite years of community protests and delays. Philadelphia took the title Thursday of largest U.S.
