Philadelphia House to discuss gambling expansion

“[Stop-and-gos] are deteriorating the city of Philadelphia,” Rep. Stephen Kinsey (D., Philadelphia), said during last week’s debate on the House floor on the gambling expansion bill. “This bill will give them slot machines and games. We should not, and cannot, support this shots-and-slots legislation.”

Stop-and-go establishments are small convenience stores, delis or gas stations with liquor licenses – even though many don’t technically meet the seating and food sales requirements to have one – that sell a variety of alcoholic beverages, including single shots of hard liquor.

Rep. Mike Sturla, who supports the video gambling expansion, said the bill includes $3 million a year specifically to increase liquor-law enforcement in Philadelphia.

Sturla also suggested the possibility of punishing suppliers if they supplied alcohol to establishments that “clearly didn’t comply with the liquor codes.”

Despite these provisions, Philadelphia legislators still oppose allowing stop and go establishments to introduce another potential problem into the mix.

“We need to have the stop-and-go issue addressed, not give these nuisance businesses an added source of income and potentially increase the amount of crime associated with them,” said senate McClinton.