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Journalist: How we fought the casinos and won
By Ed Goppelt
Friday, 02/09/07
(1171032722356)
The investigative journalist who led the successful campaign against five new casinos planned for his state told riverfront residents they were in for the fight of their lives, but that he was a living testament to the fact that you can fight the casinos and win.
Referring to the casino executives he fought in Connecticut, Jeff Benedict told a crowd of about 60 gathered at Old St. Josephs Church in Society Hill on Monday. "Beneath these suits are some brutal guys. They are ruthless. They don't care about your community. They will do anything to make a buck. They care about one thing only: money."
As a result of federal laws that give Indian tribes the rights of sovereign nations, Connecticut currently hosts the two largest casinos in the United States: Foxwoods Casino Resort and Mohegan Sun. As President of the Connecticut Alliance against Casino Expansion, Benedict led the effort to repeal the state law which would have permitted other tribes to build similar casinos.
Benedict is also the author of Without Reservation which examines the astounding growth of the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT from rural bingo hall to the largest casino in America.
Philadelphians need two things to stop the two casinos planned for their city: a legal strategy to buy time and money Benedict told a rapt audience that included community leaders from Society Hill, Queen Village and Northern Liberties.
"It's not a done deal. That's the slogan of the scared," said Benedict who said that casinos hoped to avert a lengthy battle by persuading residents at the outset that there was no point in fighting.
Law suits would give Philadelphians the time they need to turn around the Pennsylvania legislature, but would not be enough to stop the casinos in themselves. "This is ultimately a political battle to win, not a legal one," said Benedict.
"Time is your enemy right now. You need to make it your ally." Casino investors facing a three year delay because of litigation will likely go elsewhere argued Benedict.
"So much of the battle is about perception. If people think they don't have a chance, you've lost before you start. You need to convince people you can win."
Benedict said that Connecticut was like Philadelphia in that the casinos had obtained most of the necessary regulatory approvals and were poised to build when his group began to fight.
"We went from twenty people in a room to 8,000 in two months," said Benedict. "We took on the casinos and won. Our budget was $200,000; theirs was $10,000,000."