The owners of SugarHouse Casino argued that the city could not legally revoke a license to build on the riverbank. The city's Mayor Nutter revoked the SugarHouse license in January, and the city's lawyers claimed the city never had the authority to issue the license in the first place. On April 15, 2008, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court convened in Philadelphia to determine if the City of Philadelphia had the right to lease the land where the casino was to be located.

It was estimated that SugarHouse Casino would generate in excess of $1 billion in gaming taxes to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia over the first five years of operation. Future phases of the project include a 500-room hotel with health spa, a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m 2) event center, and expanded dining and retail facilities. Phase I, estimated at $550 million, includes a casino floor with 3,000 slot machines, and tables, along with a variety of retail and dining outlets. The 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m 2) casino complex is located on the 22-acre (8.9 ha) site of the former Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, hence the 'SugarHouse' name and on a site where a British Revolutionary Era fort was once located. This support is largely in part because of a community benefits agreement along with the New Kensington CDC. On the other side, Fishtown Action (FACT), the largest membership organization in the nearby community with over 600 members, has continuously supported the casino project.

Residents of the Fishtown neighborhood have taken the lead in the creation and leadership of the prominent anti-casino organizations, including Casino Free Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Neighborhood Alliance, and Neighbors Allied for the Best Riverfront. Many neighborhood residents sought to prevent the development of the casino due to quality of life issues.

SugarHouse Casino was awarded a gaming license on Decemby the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, along with four others. Rivers Casino Philadelphia, formerly SugarHouse Casino, is a casino entertainment development along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Fishtown neighborhood, one of five stand-alone casinos awarded a gaming license on Decemby the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

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