Anyone wondering where state Senator-elect Larry Farnese would come down on the casino issue didn't have to wait for him to take office. Farnese, the Philadelphia Democrat who will soon replace state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia), joined fellow lawmakers Monday in asking the state to revoke a planned waterfront casino's gambling license because of delays in building. State law requires that a casino's backers begin construction - if only at a temporary location - within a year of receiving its license.

Farnese has hedged, both in public and private, when discussing where he would fall in the battle over casinos. But by joining several Philadelphia lawmakers in the action, Farnese made it clear he would pick up his predecessor's recent opposition to the SugarHouse slot parlor planned for the Delaware River. Fumo was the architect of the state's gaming law before he joined his constituents in opposition to the two slot parlors planned for Philadelphia in recent months.

"SugarHouse has steadfastly insisted on developing the proposed site and has not considered exploring another location or a temporary site," Farnese said in a statement. "HSP [the SugarHouse developer] should have foreseen certain major land use problems and planned and acted accordingly. Meanwhile, the people of my district are not benefitting from the revenue the slots should have been generating by now."