Denying crime at SugarHouse

Regardless of location, Casino Crimes are denied and ignored and minimized by Casino Cheerleaders.

Mr. Boni got it right when he said:

"The big incidents are fraud and embezzlement that occur because people are addicted to gambling. ... That doesn't happen at the facility."

Those crimes include increased spousal and child abuse, increased money-related crimes to feed Gambling Addiction and much else.

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Crime and Misdemeanors
Is crime a problem at SugarHouse?

That's easier asked than answered.

When Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger was questioned about it at a recent House Gaming Oversight Committee meeting, he testified that police told him "there have been no serious issues at all [at] the SugarHouse Casino." Except, he later admitted (after a state representative politely reminded him), a grisly pistol-whipping.

Police spokesman Lt. Ray Evers also told City Paper that compared to other parts of Philadelphia, there has been "virtually no crime" at SugarHouse.

The stats tell a slightly different story.

According to data from the Philadelphia Police Department, police have reported 42 crimes at the casino since its September opening. That includes one report of a pistol-whipping, seven reports of theft (including one stolen car), three reports of assault, four reports of vandalism, three reports of DUIs, 11 reports of disorderly conduct, one report of a recovered stolen vehicle, two reports of city ordinance violations and eight reports of trespassing. In all, police have been called to the casino 147 times since it opened.

According to Evers, only 11 of these reported crimes were serious — which, he says, isn't much given that SugarHouse has been open for almost six months.

But Paul Boni, board member of Stop Predatory Gambling, says casino-related crime is complex: "The big incidents are fraud and embezzlement that occur because people are addicted to gambling. ... That doesn't happen at the facility."

—Holly Otterbein