Pittsburgh, the Slots License, and YOU

OK, with all the banter coming from every angle on the slots license, I felt that I should weigh in with my first blog post in over 6 months. Here is what I believed happened, and why it happened.

About a week ago:
Jim Balsillie came out with a statement to the Gaming Control Board ('GCB') that the Isle of Capri (IOC) plan was definitely something that would keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, but it was not a be-all-end-all thing. It would seem that he was trying to convince the GCB that he would, in good faith, work to keep the team in Pittsburgh under all circumstances. I don't believe this, on any level. In fact, I think that Balsillie's motives in making those statements was to convince the NHL that he would try to keep the Pens in the city.

See, the NHL knows a few things. They know that Pittsburgh is not only a great hockey town, it is a fantastic sports town all together. The Penguins get sellout crowds on many nights, and closer examination of their attendence records show that in the last two seasons, they have sold around 93% of all tickets. They understand that their leagues, by many accounts, is quite fragile. Anyone who has watched Sportscenter and notices WNBA highlights getting nearly as much as the 2 minutes that is given to the NHL every night can see this. They also realize that moving a good team, from a good town, with the league as fragile as it is would be bad for business...period.

So good old Jim Balsillie, savior of the Pens (even though he wanted nothing but to move the Pens), decided to put in a bid to buy them. He knew that IOC was not going to win the slots license all along, and yes, he was hoping for them not to win. If they didn't win, he would have free reign to move the team out of Pittsburgh and, my guess, also outside the United States. As talks with the NHL went on, though, he realized that the NHL was more savvy tha he realized. The NHL would't let the purchase go through because they fully understood Balsillie's motives to move the team...and as explained earlier, the NHL knew that wasn't a good idea. The NHL also understood that the IOC plan was a bad plan for Pittsburgh, and thus understood that the GCB would not select the IOC plan. So the NHL blocked the sale.

Fast forward: December 20, 2006
At around half past 11am, the slots license was awarded to PITG to be placed on the North Side. Considered the dark horse during the entire bidding process, this came as a surprise to most people, and indeed, was a surprise to me.

Rewind: December 25, 2005

The IOC plan was announced during the week prior. My knee-jerk reaction to the plan was to support it, which can be seen in my blog post from that date. After learning more about the plan, most of it coming very recently, I realized that the IOC plan was not the right plan for Pittsburgh, and my support leaned instead to the Harrah's/Forest City plan. I believed that the Harrah's plan would be best because it would put an entertainment venue - a casino - in an existing entertainment district. This, I believed, would be better than placing a casino in a slum. When it comes down to it, the best plan for Pittsburgh isn't necessarily even the plan that keeps the Penguins in town. In fact, were the Penguins to leave, I imagine that it would be met by a collective yawn along with about 20,000 pissed off fans. That's not saying I want the Pens to leave...but keeping a sports team is substantially less important than ensuring the overall health of our city's neighborhoods. Anyways, back to the story.

Fast forward: December 20, 2006
Right, so I was surprised. The more I have learned about the PITG plan, though, the more I like it. Place a casino on the North Side, in a non-residential area...smart. Place it in an area whose roads aren't already choked by traffic...smart. Place it on the North Side, which has seen development slowly springing up since the building of the stadiums, and likely encourage more development by placing an entertainment venue down there that will be open every day...smart.

In addition to all of that, I am pleased to hear that PITG doesn't plan to build a temporary casino. Surely, Mr. Barden, president of PITG, is full of as much political speak as any of the others, but he claims that they will be building a "Las Vegas" style casino. Basically, he's saying it'll be good...it won't be a warehouse with some red carpeting and some slot machines. From what it sounds like, Mr. Barden and PITG are going to do it right.

Later today, the commissioner of the NHL, Mr. Gary Bettman, said "The future of this franchise in Pittsburgh is uncertain, and the Penguins now will have to explore all other options, including possible relocation. The NHL will support the Penguins in their endeavors." I believe that this is nothing more than political string-pulling by Bettman, in his attempts to make the process of hammering down plans for a new arena go faster by using the fear of the team leaving. I do not believe this is indicative of the NHL's interest in moving the Penguins, and I am certain that after the emotional reactions to the decision subside in a few days, cooler heads will prevail and they will hammer out a deal.


Some rumors that I have heard:
Del Monte and Equitable are going to move
- False. A Del Monte spokeswoman said tonight that their objections were only to riverboat casinos being stationed on the North Shore, not to a permanent facility.

"The fix is in"
- False. Rendell/Onoroto? had reportedly been in bed with Harrah's/Forest City. Since PITG won, I think it's probably fair to put those conspiracy theory's to rest

The Pens are done in Pittsburgh
-False. There is going to be a new arena in Pittsburgh, with or without the Penguins. For the reasons stated above regarding the NHL, it remains my belief that it will be with.

The Steelers don't want slots next to Heinz Field
-True...but with some qualifiers. Art Rooney's objections to the slots being on the North Side center entirely around concerns about traffic and parking. Of the three locations that bid for the license, though, it seems to me that the North Side location will be the easiest one to make sure the traffic and parking problems be alleviated.


The Bottom Line:
When it comes right down to it, slots seem like they are going to be a necessary evil in our city. The GCB did their best to select the best plan for the City, not for the Penguins. I believe that was their duty as agents of the taxpayers...rather than as agents of the team. With everything in mind, PITG will provide Pittsburgh with the best plan for implementing a slot casino, spurring new development, and giving back to the community. Once the emotional reactions to IOC losing are gone, the Penguins and the City will find a way to build a new arena, and we will all be better off for it.