Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

Eighteen people were arrested today during a nonviolent protest outside the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board after they arrived to conduct a search for information about proposed gambling halls in Philadelphia. The activist group Casino Free Philadelphia organized the event to draw attention to its claim that the board has not released sufficient information about the slot-machine parlors that could be located near its members' homes. "They have a negative impact on neighborhoods and families," said protester Morgan Jones, of Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, as he was led away in plastic zip-tie handcuffs. "We feel that these were allowed in the dead of night without any public input." About 50 demonstrators, including students from a Philadelphia charter school, attended the event, chanting such slogans as "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the public has a right to know." Demonstrators read aloud from a "citizen search warrant" as they sought entry to the gaming board's offices, which are in a privately owned office building across the street from the Capitol. Security officials kept the protesters out of the agency's fifth-floor offices by closing a set of glass doors in front of the elevators. Demonstrators remained at the building's security desk, and police arrested those who ignored their requests to leave. Harrisburg City Police Capt. Pierre Ritter said those arrested were being charged with disorderly conduct and released. A Casino Free Philadelphia organizer, Anne Dicker, said the event went according to plan.

Gaming board spokesman Doug Harbach said the protesters were not allowed to go inside the agency's offices because they intended to search the offices for documents, which Harbach said was illegal.

Harbach contends the agency has released much of what the protesters were seeking, such as transcripts of public hearings on slots licenses and the public presentations by slots applicants.

The gaming board plans to vote next week to award up to 11 licenses to operate slots parlors. There are five applicants for two licenses set aside for Philadelphia.

Asked Friday about protests against the gaming board and slots parlors, gaming board chairman Tad Decker said the board understands that the slots parlors will have an impact on communities, but he said the protests will not have an effect on the voting.

He also said the board will not put off the vote to allow for public comment on the final proposals by the slots applicants.

"At the end of the day, we've been picked to vote and we're going to fulfill our statutory obligation to vote," Decker said.