Judge Approves Putting Petersburg Casino Referendum on November Ballot

The proposed Live! Casino Virginia will be out to the voters of Petersburg to decide whether or not they want the project in their historic town. (Image: courtesy of valive.casino)

The voters of Petersburg, Virginia, will have the final say on whether a casino appears in their city after a local judge approved a referendum on the project for this November’s ballot.

The Petersburg City Council first approved a resolution to request permission to hold the referendum from the Petersburg Circuit Court on Monday morning.

Approval Comes Quickly for Petersburg Referendum

A vote on the resolution was largely a formality, given that the city council had already expressed its support for the casino on several occasions. Vice Mayor Darrin Hill – who represents the area in which Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia will potentially be built – made the motion to approve the resolution, and the council quickly voted 7-0 in favor of sending the request over to the court.

Only a couple hours later, Petersburg Circuit Court Judge Dennis Martin signed and approved the request, officially removing the last barrier to a referendum on the casino during the general election.

The court’s approval follows the Virginia Lottery Board giving its own approval for the referendum on July 9.

The question, which has language dictated by state law, asks voters the following: “Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in Petersburg, Virginia, located on an approximate 92.5-acre development site located off Interstate 95 at Wagner Road along Brassfield Parkway in the City of Petersburg as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?”

Voters will be able to choose between yes and no checkboxes. A majority of Petersburg voters must answer yes for the casino project to go forward.

November Vote Will End Contentious Casino Process

The journey to this point for the city of Petersburg has been fraught with controversy. The city has long wanted to be included as one of Virginia’s four casino hosts, but initially missed out in 2020. However, Richmond twice failed to pass a referendum to build a casino, leading the state legislature to make Portsmouth a host city earlier this year.

The Petersburg City Council then made a surprise announcement in April, choosing The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise as its casino development partners in a closed session. Virginia legislators then questioned the lack of transparency in Petersburg’s decision, after which the city fired back, claiming it was under political pressure when it wrote a letter initially indicating that Bally’s would be its preferred casino partner.

Should voters ultimately approve the casino, which would be known as Live! Virginia to match the branding of Cordish’s other properties, the goal would be to have a temporary facility in operation on the site by the end of 2025. Ultimately, Cordish and Bruce Smith Enterprise have agreed to spend $597 million on the casino complex, which would also include a hotel and entertainment facilities. 

Currently, there are three casinos in operation in the state of Virginia. Only one – Rivers Casino Portsmouth – has been fully completed as a permanent facility. Other casinos in Bristol and Danville are temporary while waiting for more permanent structures to be completed, while Norfolk’s casino in partnership with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and HeadWaters has stalled after the city rejected a two-stage construction plan.