The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, ruling in an appeal of the 2014 award of the second Philadelphia casino license, has ordered the state Gaming Control Board to re-examine the ownership structure of Stadium Casino LLC, parent company of the planned Live! Casino in the South Philadelphia stadium district.
The appeal was filed by losing bidders for the license, which has been a common practice in Pennsylvania. No award of the gaming board has ever been reversed on appeal.
Stadium Casino LLC is a partnership of Maryland-based Cordish Companies and Greenwood Gaming, owner of the Parx casino in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem. Pennsylvania law restricts any one company from owning more than one-third of a second casino in the state.
Speaking to the Philadelphia CBS affiliate, gaming board spokesman Doug Harbach downplayed the significance of the ruling, saying it should not be a major roadblock to the casino project.
“I think it’s just the court asking for better clarification of the ownership structure,” Harbach said, “and the board will be working on providing that and hopefully keeping this project moving forward.”
