Petersburg voters will get the chance to have their say on whether to support a new commercial casino in the Virginia city along with picking the next US president in November. Things have progressed on the casino front, and Petersburg’s city council unanimously approved the request for a referendum in a meeting held earlier this week. It took just 2.5 minutes for Petersburg’s city council to vote 7-0 in favor of a referendum and this will be on the November ballot. On the same day, the vote went to the Petersburg Circuit Court, and the decision was sanctioned in a couple of hours by the judge, marking a significant milestone in the bid to see a high-profile casino project materialize. Earlier this month, the Virginia Lottery consented to allow Petersburg to replace Richmond as one of the 5 designated casino locations in the state after voters roundly rejected Richmond on a couple of occasions. Under Virginia law, the Petersburg Circuit Court would have had until August 16 to ratify the referendum in time for the November ballot. The question that will now be put to the voters will read: “Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in Petersburg, Virginia as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?” Within this, there will be “Yes” and “No” checkboxes for voters to signal their decision. Should a majority of voters endorse the presented casino, then the developers behind the project will have to apply for a gaming concession in the commonwealth. The Cordish Companies, a Maryland-based casino developer and Virginia-based Bruce Smith Enterprise, is the official applicant, and they are putting in $597 million into a casino, hotel, and entertainment complex. Covering 92 acres of land in South Petersburg, the aim is to complete the project in 2 phases, with an interim casino that would open in 2025 before unveiling a permanent establishment. The permanent gaming floor would house 1,000 slot machines, 23 live-dealer table games as well as a 15-table poker room. Should the project be endorsed, it would bolster employment opportunities in the area for roughly 7,500 people. The state’s general assembly could still derail the project as they will have the final vote. Everything it seems hinges on the November referendum, but if all goes smoothly or as planned, things could take off in Petersburg.
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