The Virginia city of Norfolk recently took steps to move forward on its casino project. Four other cities also were approved by the legislature last year to develop casinos. All are subject to local voter referendums in November.
The city council of Norfolk recently rescinded an agreement with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, signed in December, that would have designated 13.25 acres of downtown waterfront as sovereign tribal territory. As a result, the city will be able to collect tax revenue from the tribe’s proposed casino resort—not a negotiated annual payment—and the tribe will not receive city police, fire and utility service there at no charge.
The tribe still will build a $500 million commercial casino in downtown Norfolk with the backing of Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough.
Opponents said a tribal casino would limit the city’s ability to develop a prime tract of waterfront land if the casino failed. Also, the city would receive no taxes from the venture. These and other concerns about the process and transparency led to two petition drives against the proposed casino.
The Norfolk council also passed a measure officially naming the Pamunkey Tribe its preferred operator for a commercial casino–a formal step required under the state legislation that legalized casinos. In Portsmouth, one of the other five cities authorized to develop a casino, the city council approved a measure naming rush Street Gaming as its preferred casino operator. And Danville recently designated Caesars Entertainment as its developer, after an RFP that attracted seven bidders.
