Sugarhouse casino one month later

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - October 22, 2010 (WPVI) -- It has been a month since Sugarhouse opened its doors. Patrons and neighbors weigh in on Philadelphia's first casino.

Friday night, and Sugarhouse is expecting another big weekend crowd. The general manager says they've drawn people from Fishtown to Phoenix, Arizona, and many keep coming back.

"It's really just been an unbelievable first month," said Wendy Hamilton, Sugarhouse General Manager.

The first month included over 200,000 people walking through the doors and over 1,000 jackpots paid at Sugarhouse Casino in Fishtown.

Gamblers weigh in, one month in.

"It's nothing like Atlantic City, I like the attractions," said one patron.

"The building itself is pretty nice. Customer Service is pretty good. The machines are cold at the moment," said Barbara Whitney from Delaware.

There are no major incidents or problems to report on premises, according to the general manager. Though, last weekend, a man was followed to his New Jersey home, where two men attacked and attempted to rob him of his $2,000 winnings. Police believe the men heard the victim describing his winnings on the phone. Casino surveillance cameras captured images of the suspects.

"We have over 700 security cameras, and last week, survellience did it's job. It's a great place to commit a crime if you want your picture taken," said Hamilton.

Hamilton speaks of the positive relationship with the surrounding community and neighbors agree. Prior to the opening, community concerns included parking overflow and safety, but they say so far, so good.

"I know when they were building it a lot of neighbors had trouble but since it's opened it hasn't been much of an issue," said Maura Ryan.

"We have police circling the block, no problems that I'm aware of," said Terry Livingston.

As for jobs, right now they employ around 1,000 people, and there are still openings available.

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sugarhouse casino, philadelphia, pennsylvania, local/state, katherine scott

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