For the second time in three years, a casino for Richmond, Virginia was defeated by voters there. This time, however, the vote was decisive and killed the idea for good.
The proposed $562 million project would have placed the casino in the southern part of the city on the site of an old tobacco plant. A similar proposal was narrowly defeated in 2021 but in this election it went down to defeat as 58 percent of the voters rejected the plan.
Churchill Downs and Urban One, a D.C.-based minority owned company, would have developed the complex, inheriting the plan when Churchill bought Peninsula Pacific, which originally proposed it. In the deal, Churchill Downs now also owns the Rosie’s gaming emporiums, which feature historic horse racing machines (HHR).
The project included a 250-room hotel, and a 3,000-seat theater where Urban One pledged to present movies, television shows and audio projects. The project would have created 1,300 jobs and generated $30 million annually in taxes.
The PAC promoting the plan, Richmond Wins, Vote Yes, issued 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 Richmonders who voted for good jobs and a stronger city, especially those in South Side who poured their hearts into this project,” the group said.
The project became possible in 2020 when Virginia passed a bill permitting five casinos around the state as long as the local populace approves them. Currently there are casinos in Bristol, Portsmouth, and Danville, with a fourth under construction in Norfolk.
