Gambling on foresight

After a quiet stretch, Mayor Street's Gaming Advisory Task Force is today reporting the conclusions of its first study of possible casino locations in the Philadelphia area. They appear to have considered such factors as traffic burden and profitability in weighing the proposed sites.

The most profitable scenario, the report says, would be to split the locations, with one on the Delaware River waterfront and the other near the intersection of the Schuylkill Expressway and Roosevelt Boulevard.

The article includes a list of some anticipated costs and benefits, from increased police presence to the creation of construction jobs, and a map showing the 11 sites considered. Actual recommendations will wait for the final report, due out in about a month -- who gets final decision power is a bit unclear at the moment because of a recent court decision.