Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney issued a request for qualifications and proposals on December 28, seeking a developer to build a resort casino. The selection is a necessary step before voters vote on the casino proposal in a November referendum.
Proposals are due by 3 p.m. February 22. The process will include resident feedback and consultations with experts in the field.
“This competitive selection process will allow us to find the best opportunity for Richmond, an economic development project that includes well-paying jobs and workforce training opportunities,” Stoney said. “Ultimately, the operator selected for this project must bring to the table the economic opportunity and community benefits voters will support in November.”
Director of Economic Development Leonard Sledge said the project will create significant business benefits at the expense of the chosen casino operator. In addition, the project will be a boon to the entertainment and tourism industry, and add new revenues for the city.
“We anticipate multiple qualified entities to be interested. Subjecting potential operators to a robust competitive review process ensures that the city can make the most of this opportunity on behalf of its residents,”
Proposal evaluations will examine the socioeconomic elements for the city and its residents.
Among Richmond’s objectives for the winning entry:
- Induces capital and ongoing investment in the city;
- Creates sustainable and well-paying jobs, new employment opportunities for Richmond residents;
- Acts as a catalyst for additional economic development in the city;
- Contributes to the city’s efforts to attract sustainable economic benefits from tourism;
- Maximizes the economic impact beyond gaming, including hotel, non-gaming entertainment, or other commercial activities;
- Supports the city’s mission to facilitate, produce and advance opportunities for minority business enterprises;
- Adds to and support the existing Richmond entertainment community;
- Provides resources and additional revenues to the city.
Interested parties can view the RFQ/P at www.rva.gov/economic-development/resort-casino.
The legislation signed into law last year allowed casino development in five economically challenged cities. In addition to Richmond, Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth were chosen and all approved casinos in referendums held during the November 2020 elections.
In other Virginia news, sometime early this month, Rosie’s Gaming will open its fourth slots parlor in the state, with a 150-machine facility in Dumfries. What makes this different than your typical game is that they play like slot machines. But the outcome depends on the results of old horse races.
The state legislature approved the games in 2018 as a first step in expanding gambling, according to the Associated Press.
Colonial Downs in New Kent County, the state’s only racetrack, operates – Rosie’s. A portion of the proceeds from the machines increases purses at the track.
In November, bettors wagered $170 million on these games in four locations, with $155 million paid out in winnings. But can Rosie’s compete with northern Virginia markets. Residents can access MGM National Harbor in Maryland, and Hollywood Casino at Charles Town racetrack in West Virginia easier than Dumfries.
Still, Rick Casagrande, general manager of Rosie’s in Dumfries said his place will succeed.
“In every jurisdiction, the people that come out are looking for an entertainment option that’s clean, safe and friendly. And we provide that,” he said.
Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood is impressed with the investment Rosie’s is making. More than 100 people are being hired with minimum wages of $15 an hour, and he said the company has committed to supporting community groups like Boys & Girls Clubs.
Dumfries voted 468-306 in 2019 in favor of gambling. Wood said he suspects those who were opposed to gaming remain so.
But Wood thinks opponents may be swayed when they see improvements to the shopping center that houses Rosie’s. The most conservative estimates say town revenue will grow by 20 percent.
“Dumfries has always been a place people drive through,” he said. “Now we are trying to create a sense of destination.”
The Virginia Lottery expects to grant approval to more than a dozen sportsbooks to launch online sports betting. A legislative study a year ago said a casino in Northern Virginia would be needed to generate significant tax revenue.
“From where I live, I can walk a few blocks and look out over the Potomac and see $150 million in Virginia money going across the bridge” to the MGM casino in Maryland, said state Senator Scott Surovell. “I’ve always said I’d be supportive of keeping Virginia’s money here in a responsible way.”
