Richmond Casino Money Ballot Referendum Dropped by City Council
The capital of Virginia cassino ballot referendum that was to require city voters how they’d favor to apply tax dollars generated past a theoretic commercial message cassino inwards townsfolk has been dropped.
The Richmond City Council this calendar week decided to forgo the gambling casino money enquiry after City Attorney Haskell C. John Brown III advised that the inquiry is non currently warranted. The city’s top off administration lawyer said that’s because Richmond won’t presumptively receive a cassino tax dollar anytime soon.
Richmonders during the Nov 2021 election narrowly rejected a ballot referendum asking them to pass a single cassino resort. Nearly 51% of the balloting went against the proposed $565 zillion project called ONE Casino + Resort.
City officials are provision to re-ask voters virtually a cassino again this November. capital of Virginia was unity of Phoebe cities that qualified under commonwealth lawmaking passed inwards 2020 that allows economically struggling cities to take authorizing a cassino to bring forth unexampled jobs and taxation streams.
Casino on Hold
The Richmond City Council lastly hebdomad decided to non run forrad with asking voters to funding allocating cassino assess money to help fixture some 30 vacant school day buildings. The local authorities concluded that asking residents well-nigh the fiscal benefits of gaming piece wanting an actual casino inward townspeople would likely only when disconcert the populace.
But that doesn’t mean value the council is giving upward on its wishes to urinate Richmond a casino city. Along with Democratic Mayor Levar Stoney, the council is legal proceeding with a endorse gambling casino ballot referendum this November.
The oppugn will again ask city residents to reenforcement the ONE Casino + Resort plan, but this clip with a clearer message hyping the economical benefits such a cast might drive home to the region. But even out if the local referendum gains financial backing this clip around, say lawmakers hold roadblocked the casino from receiving necessary tell approvals to lead off twist on the more than half-billion dollar sign undertaking.
State lawmakers inwards their 2022-2024 biennium budget bill included a supply that blocks the VA Lottery from issuing Richmond a casino permit unless its approved local gaming referendum is held “on or after November 1, 2023.”
This speech amendment provides that the Old Dominion State Lottery shall not grant an initial casino license for any host urban center without a referendum sanctioned prior to July 1, 2022, unless a referendum on gambling casino gaming is held on or after November 1, 2023, and approved past the voters of such city,” the general assembly explains on the budget amendment.
Richmond was the only if city of the quint that qualified for a gambling casino where metropolis residents rejected the opportunity. Casinos are underway inwards Norfolk, Portsmouth, Danville, and Bristol.
Virginia for Gambling
Virginia’s first sound cassino opened before this month inward Bristol. The temporary gaming infinite is equipped with 900 slots and 20 tabulate games. The facility testament control while the $400 zillion lasting holiday resort — Hard Rock Bristol — is constructed o'er the next II years.
Sports betting, which was to boot legalized through and through the 2020 gaming bill signed by then-Gov. Ralph Northam (D), commenced inwards April of that year.
After decades of prohibiting most forms of play — the body politic lottery beingness the notable exclusion — Virginia’s fresh emerging gaming manufacture is lot for major ontogeny inward the coming years.