PHILADELPHIA — Anti-casino activists disrupted a state gaming board meeting on Wednesday and forced an early adjournment, signaling that the bitter grass roots battle against two city slots parlors is far from over.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board meeting was halted about a third of the way through its agenda after about a dozen activists and residents spoke out against the proposed Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia and SugarHouse Casino.

"Casinos are going to bring economic ruin to Philadelphia," said Karim Olaechea, a member of Casino-Free Philadelphia, right before security escorted him out of the room.

The activists spoke out after the board's new chairwoman, Mary DiGiacomo Colins, touted the financial benefits of authorizing gambling in the Commonwealth. She said more than $8 billion has been wagered in Pennsylvania slot machines since November and the state is on track to realize $1.7 billion in annual tax revenue.

Residents and activists have fought to keep casinos out of Philadelphia since the board awarded gaming licenses to the two companies in December.

One of the winning projects is backed by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which runs the huge Foxwoods Resort Casino on its Connecticut reservation and wants to build a casino in South Philadelphia. Neil Bluhm, a billionaire developer from Chicago, is the biggest investor in SugarHouse, which is to be built in the city's Fishtown neighborhood.

Both sites are on the Delaware River waterfront, not far from row upon row of brick townhouses.

Opponents are focusing on trying to force the casinos to build farther away from residential areas.