Charges Against Pennsylvania Casino Protesters Dropped

Casino News - February 17th, 2010 - Written By Glen

Back in September of 2009, 14 protesters had been arrested for their display at the site of the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On Monday, almost six months later, a judge threw out the charges against the former protesters.

Over a dozen men and women had met at the site of the casino in order to protest what would become a burgeoning casino industry in Pennsylvania. The group locked arms to bar the entrance to the casino. For almost a quarter of an hour, these citizens had managed to show their opinion peacefully.

The protest came a week before the groundbreaking ceremony of the SugarHouse Casino. The protesters included the young and the old, as well as two religious leaders. The protest, led by the group known as Casino-Free Philadelphia, had made it a point to inform the community that they had good intent.

According to Jethro Heiko, one of Casino-Free Philadelphia's leaders, stated that "Our intent was not to upset police. Our intent was to get the message out that casinos are bad for Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania's gambling laws have been on the fast track toward liberalization for the past few months, with the legalities of the issue culminating in the the expansion of table games within the state. What were previously glorified slot parlors will now become full fledged casinos, as table games may now be included within the state.

Good or bad, right versus wrong, moral or immoral, all is now a moot point with the continued expansion of casino gambling within the state. Millions of dollars are expected to be generated through tax revenue, and one thing is clear - the casinos are here to stay, whether it be USA online casinos, or land casinos.