RICHMOND, Va. -- Months after Richmond voters once again rejected a plan to allow a casino from opening in the city, efforts by leaders from the City of Petersburg are making headway in the General Assembly for their chance to open a casino in the city south of Richmond.
"I am asking you to give me the chance to give to my citizens in Petersburg, the opportunity to go to the ballot box for a referendum and consider this opportunity that, again, has the ability to bring about generational change," Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D - Petersburg) said Tuesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing. "I think this is only one of many economic development opportunities. That could be a possibility for the city, I think we have a responsibility to explore all options that can bring revenue generation into the city's coffers."
Aird wants to give Petersburg voters the opportunity to decide on whether their hometown will become home to the fifth and final city in Virginia to host a casino. The bill to do so cleared the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology's Gaming Subcommittee on Tuesday and the main committee on Wednesday.
Casinos have been approved and opened in Danville, Bristol, and Portsmouth after legislation authorizing them, subject to local voter approval, authorized them in 2020.
Voters in Norfolk also approved a casino but the project is still going through the approval process.
A 2022 state feasibility study estimated a Petersburg casino would generate over $200 million in state revenue and $12 million in local taxes.
While past failed efforts for a Petersburg casino had a potential operator already lined up, Aird said that was no longer the case and the city has committed to her it will be an open and transparent process.
"That will engage citizens to not only talk about the prospective operators that are interested but also what's going to happen with those projected revenues," she said.
No one spoke in opposition to the legislation at Tuesday's hearing. Support came from other lawmakers and the hospitality and construction industry.
"Hospitality jobs can be the kind of jobs that change communities and bring families forward economically, we believe, as described, this project will do just that," Paul Schwalb, with Unite Here Local 25, said.
The bill was approved by the subcommittee with only one vote against it. Aird said she's confident it will get to Governor Glenn Youngkin's desk.
While she hasn't had direct talks with him. she said Youngkin with his "Partnership for Petersburg" initiative, has shown his commitment to helping uplift the city.
"I'm hopeful that this will be, unquestionably, something that he will put his signature on," she said.
A spokesperson for Youngkin said he will review any legislation that reaches his desk.
A spokesperson for the City of Petersburg said if the bill is approved, they expect a referendum question to appear on the ballot in November's elections.
Voters have twice rejected the idea of allowing a casino in Richmond mainly citing concerns about the impact casinos have on the communities in which they are located.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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