On Nov. 5, voters in Petersburg, Va. gave their blessing to the Cordish Companies to build a brick-and-mortar casino in their town. The opportunity for Petersburg residents to be heard exists because Richmond residents twice voted against building a casino.
With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, the proposal was approved 81.5 percent-18.5 percent. A total of 10,265 votes were cast in favor as opposed to 2,325 against, according to the secretary of state’s office. Cordish has plans and is licensed to build a Live! Casino in the city.
In 2020, state lawmakers made digital sports betting legal. At the same time, they named five locations in the state that could build physical casinos. But each location required local approval before a license could be issued. So far, casinos in Bristol (Hard Rock), Danville (Caesars) and Portsmouth (Rivers) have opened. Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey tribe late last week broke ground on a $750 million casino in Norfolk, which is scheduled to open in late 2027.
Richmond was the fifth city approved. But voters in 2021 there rejected the referendum. Then two years later, 61 percent of voters again said no. After the second defeat, lawmakers in Petersburg, a small central Virginia town, decided they wanted in on the action.
In July, the Petersburg City Council and the Virginia Lottery approved the request for a referendum, landing the issue on the ballot. Cordish is planning a $597 million casino, hotel and entertainment complex on 92 acres of land in south Petersburg. The property will be built in two phases.
