Philadelphia City Council was an ally of the anti-casino movement for several years.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter pledged to oppose casino development during his campaign for office, and presented some procedural hurdles to developers, but eventually supported the scaled-down SugarHouse Casino. At times the Philadelphia City Council supported efforts to prevent the opening of casinos in the city. Under pressure from Casino-Free Philadelphia, State Senator Vincent Fumo introduced legislative amendments that gave the city permission to enforce zoning laws for casinos.