Image Source: Scott Elmquist; Styleweekly.com
Residents of Richmond, Virginia, voted yesterday against plans to build a casino in the area. The developers behind the project proposed constructing the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino on the site of a former tobacco company off Interstate 95. The project was backed by Churchill Downs Inc. and Urban One Inc.
The proposed project, estimated to provide 1,300 jobs and $30 million in tax revenue annually, was rejected by a 61% majority, with voter turnout being around 43%. Following the results, the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino group released a statement: “We are proud to have run a community-centered campaign to create more opportunities for residents of this great city to rise into the middle class. We are grateful to the thousands of Richmond residents who voted for good jobs and a stronger city, especially those in southside who poured their hearts into this project.”
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who supported the project alongside the NAACP and a variety of local businesses and labor organizations, said to the press: “I will continue to be a voice for communities that have been historically overlooked and underserved. I will work for more accessible and affordable child care, for good paying jobs, and for an abundance of opportunities for ALL Richmonders – no matter their zip code or socioeconomic status.”
Richmond Grand Resort and Casino would have been the fifth casino project in Virginia after lawmakers approved the legislation supporting the legalization of gambling locations alongside online sports betting in April 2020. As per Virginia law, each casino that launches must receive approval from local voters of the jurisdiction where it intends to open. So far, casinos have opened in Bristol, Danville, and Portsmouth. In addition, a casino in Norfolk is still under development.
This isn’t the first attempt to seek voter approval for a casino in Richmond. In 2021, 51% of voters rejected Urban One’s previous proposal.
