In Virginia, referendums to allow casinos in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth all were approved by voters in the November 3 election. Local electoral boards have certified the results and now each city and its preferred casino partner may move forward.
A simple majority was required for passage. Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth approved the measures with two-thirds of the vote and Norfolk came close. The official results are as follows:
• Bristol (Hard Rock Casino and Resort Bristol)
Yes: 5,490 (71.1 percent)
No: 2,227 (28.9 percent)
• Danville (Caesars Casino Resort Danville)
Yes: 13,151 (68.7 percent)
No: 5,983 (31.3 percent)
• Norfolk (Pamunkey Casino Resort Norfolk)
Yes: 57,741 (65.1 percent)
No: 31,015 (34.9 percent)
• Portsmouth (Rivers Portsmouth Casino Resort)
Yes: 29,169 (66.7 percent)
No: 14,530 (33.3 percent)
Under Virginia law, this is the next step: “If a majority of those voting in a referendum held pursuant to § 58.1-4123 vote in the affirmative, the eligible host city shall certify its preferred casino gaming operator and submit such certification to the Department within 30 days.”
The Virginia Lottery, which will oversee casino gambling, has until April 7, 2021 to draft regulations. Once those are published, casino operators can formally apply for a license. The lottery then will have up to 12 months to review the application, conduct background and financial checks and issue a decision. Virginia Lottery Director Kevin Hall said the four new casinos could open in spring 2022. “While that feels like a long way off, it is well within the timelines of construction for each of the casinos,” he said.
However, before any casino opens, sports betting could launch early next year, Hall said. He said the lottery has received 25 sports betting applications for its 12 available licenses. “There is a high level of interest from national and international operators. We are now reviewing the applications and will do suitability and background checks,” he said. Applicants include BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet and WynnBet. Hard Rock (Bristol), Rush Street (Portsmouth), and William Hill/Caesars (Danville) already are partnered with casinos. In Norfolk, the Pamunkey Tribe has not yet announced a gaming operator.
Under the law, the deadline for sports betting applications was October 31. The lottery has 90 days from then to approve the applications. That’s January 29, one week before Super Bowl LV set for February 7 in Tampa.
As a result, if the lottery uses the full 90 days for review, the earliest sports wagers could be placed would be late January or early February.
