The Virginia Common Meeting convened for its 2024 legislative session on Wednesday, and later this week, a invoice searching for to designate Petersburg as a professional on line casino host metropolis is predicted to be filed.
Virginia Del. Kim Taylor, a Republican, is hopeful 2024 is the 12 months when Petersburg is allowed to mull a on line casino resort. After Richmond voters for a second time rejected a on line casino pitch, some Virginia lawmakers are jockeying to convey the gaming venture to their districts. (Picture: WRIC Richmond)
Petersburg wasn’t one of many 5 cities that Virginia lawmakers in 2020 allowed to mull a business on line casino venture to spark their regional economies. However after Richmond twice rejected on line casino proposals, state efforts have ensued to relocate the capital metropolis’s gaming alternative roughly 20 miles south to Petersburg.
Del. Kim Taylor (R-Dinwiddie), whose county encompasses Petersburg, has helped spearhead the Petersburg on line casino push since Richmonders first rejected a on line casino in 2021. Taylor believes a brand new legislative make-up within the Richmond capital presents higher odds for Petersburg being allowed to ask its metropolis residents in the event that they want to enable a gaming resort to come back to city.
We’re in a completely completely different local weather,” Taylor instructed The Progress-Index. “The Republicans are actually the minority, however carrying the on line casino referendum laws final session, I actually had an opportunity to get to know the delegates and completely different lobbyists. We’re going to proceed to construct on that. Then, after all, we acquired quite a lot of new individuals. There’s going to be constructing new relationships.”
The largest change associated to a Petersburg on line casino is that state Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Petersburg) is now not in workplace after being defeated in final June’s Democratic main.
Morrissey, who co-led the Petersburg on line casino push with Taylor, was a controversial lawmaker who had loads of opponents in Richmond. His Meeting tenure additionally confronted controversy when it was revealed he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old, who would later develop into his spouse. Morrissey married Myrna Pleasure in 2016 when she was 20 and he was 59.
Taylor was additionally nearly ousted throughout November’s election after narrowly defeating her Republican challenger by simply 53 votes.
Higher Odds
Taylor believes Morrissey’s exit would possibly enhance the percentages of a Petersburg on line casino invoice gaining enough help in Richmond.
She says private grudges stalled her and Morrissey’s legislative effort final 12 months, when Sen. President Professional Tempore Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) — dubbed the “On line casino Woman” for championing on line casino laws for years — mentioned Virginia has sufficient casinos with the 4 already permitted by way of native referendums.
Lucas was a longtime foe of Morrissey. Taylor mentioned she was “disillusioned” when Lucas mothballed her and Morrissey’s on line casino invoice final 12 months after it handed the Home of Delegates in February 2023.
On line casino License Struggle
Lucas mentioned after Richmond voters rejected a on line casino proposal for the second time final November that the capital metropolis’s gaming efforts must be formally over. Virginia lawmakers ought to contemplate reallocating the license, she mentioned.
The Cordish Corporations, a Baltimore-based gaming operator with casinos in Maryland and Pennsylvania, has expressed curiosity in partnering with Petersburg on a attainable on line casino alternative. A separate legislative push in Fairfax County within the northern a part of the state can also be anticipated to area a substantial battle for the Richmond license.
Virginia Sen. David Marsden (D-Burke) and Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart) imagine the state ought to enable a on line casino in Northern Virginia, the wealthiest a part of the commonwealth, to cease the movement of gaming cash into neighboring Maryland.
Whereas there’s help in Petersburg for a on line casino, with Mayor Sam Parham being among the many venture’s largest cheerleaders, there was widespread opposition in Vienna and McClean to a attainable gaming improvement in Fairfax.
