Richmond voters earlier this month rejected for a second time a proposed on line casino resort within the Virginia capital metro. That has prompted state lawmakers and native officers in different counties and cities to ponder whether or not they would possibly have the ability to safe a chance to weigh an analogous undertaking.
Fairfax County Govt Bryan Hill believes the county might transfer ahead with a on line casino referendum in Tysons by labeling a gaming resort as a “public leisure” facility. After Richmond voters dismissed a on line casino once more, another Virginia cities are debating the deserves of gaming. (Picture: LinkedIn)
When Virginia lawmakers in 2020 approved industrial casinos, they did so in a fastidiously crafted approach, the place playing can be used as an financial stimulator. Cities petitioned state lawmakers for inclusion within the gaming invoice, and together with Richmond, the cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Danville certified.
These cities met the gaming regulation’s qualifying standards, resembling experiencing a inhabitants decline of a minimum of 20% between 1990 and 2016, and a minimal poverty price of 20% in 2017. The on line casino invoice requires that gaming developments are solely approved with native approval by a citywide poll referendum.
Following Richmond rejecting its on line casino alternative for a second time in three years, state Sen. David Marsden (D-Burke) and Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart) imagine Fairfax County needs to be given an opportunity. Although Fairfax is among the wealthiest counties in all the nation, the politicians assume diversifying the DC suburban ring would solely additional develop the Northern Virginia county that borders Alexandria and Arlington County.
Marsden additionally believes a on line casino might bail out the Metro Silver Line and its new 11.4-mile stretch connecting Reston and Loudoun County that price $3 billion. Ridership continues to say no, he says, and opening a on line casino would improve demand from DC.
Path to Approval
Marsden and Williams are anticipated to reintroduce their gaming payments in January when the Virginia Normal Meeting convenes.
Marsden and Williams have fielded curiosity from Comstock Firms relating to a on line casino. The Reston-based mixed-use actual property developer is figuring out the best way to redevelop a number of former auto dealerships on Chain Bridge Rd. in Tysons, and a on line casino has been floated.
Some native officers aren’t on board. That group consists of Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D), John Farrell, president of the Reston Affiliation Board of Administrators, and Lynne Mulston, president of the Reston Residents Affiliation.
Alcorn lately requested the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for solutions to particular issues he and lots of group members have relating to state efforts to permit a on line casino within the county. Most necessary is whether or not county leaders imagine they’ve the authority to singlehandedly place a on line casino referendum earlier than voters.
Fairfax County Govt Bryan Hill advised Alcorn this week, as first reported by Patch, that the county certainly is of the authorized understanding {that a} on line casino might be labeled as “public leisure” and be allowed in industrial retail areas with out rezoning.
Below this dedication, a on line casino can be permitted in these particular districts with Board of Supervisors approval,” Hill defined.
Below the present Virginia gaming regulation, Hill added {that a} hypothetical referendum would pinpoint a single location for the on line casino, not quite a few attainable websites. The county govt mentioned if the Normal Meeting amends the regulation to permit Tysons to think about a on line casino, additional amendments might be made to permit a referendum to incorporate a number of places.
“Reston Affiliation assures its membership that it’s dedicated to opposing the institution of a on line casino,” Farrell mentioned in response to Hill. “We’re conscious of no location in Reston which has been accredited as a web site for ‘public leisure’ and discover Mr. Hill’s assertion baffling.”
Petersburg Stays Silent
After Richmonders first voted “No” to their on line casino throughout the November 2021 election, officers in close by Petersburg requested state lawmakers to relocate the capital metropolis’s gaming privilege roughly 20 miles south. State Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Petersburg) led that battle, although his invoice in the end stalled.
Morrissey lured in Baltimore-based Cordish Firms to pitch a $1.4 billion built-in resort on line casino to be inbuilt quite a few phases over a number of years in Petersburg. Morrissey was defeated in his Democratic major in June. He’ll exit the state Senate on Jan. 10, 2024.
Petersburg officers haven’t but mentioned if they’ll resume their push to accumulate a on line casino prospect. Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham mentioned final yr {that a} on line casino might “remodel town.”
