RICHMOND, Va. – People who live in Richmond could once again be voting as early as this fall on the opportunity to bring a casino to the River City.
When state lawmakers voted Thursday to kill Petersburg’s chances of getting a casino, that opened the door for Richmond to hold another referendum. That is as long as language in the state budget does not block it.
Richmond City Council President Mike Jones said that even though 51% of voters rejected a $565 million casino and resort complex slated for Richmond's Southside in 2021, leaders still believe in the project.
“This is still the democratic process. We're not discounting their vote, but the reality is there was still a lot of misinformation out there,” Jones said “A lot of paternalistic perspectives kind of ruled the day as well. ‘Oh we know what's better for people.’ And then we saw a breakdown along lines of color, and so that's what we got to really begin to address.”
Jones said the council will move to put a referendum on the ballot as soon as the state budget is finalized.
