Hampton pushes for casino gaming
Virginia lawmakers approved five regions to allow the segment, but now Hampton wants to get cleared for a casino gaming expansion as well.
US.- State lawmakers have recently approved five locations to open casinos in Virginia. Those are Bristol, Danville, Richmond, Portsmouth and Norfolk.
Rosie’s Gaming Emporium has already opened in Richmond, and has already generated US$20k in tax revenue. That’s why there’s a sixth county, Hampton, which also seeks to launch casino gaming.
“From my perspective, there should be one (of) these on this side of the water,” Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck said. “Hampton is the centre of the region,” he added on the potential arrival of casino gaming.
“We can use some of the profit for regional economic development projects, something we’d identify,” he said.
Hampton would develop its casino near the Coliseum Central neighbourhood, which would have gaming creating revenue for state coffers.
“We need to get our hat in the ring, so we are ready to say yes or no (to) it,” Councilman Billy Hobbs said.
Norfolk casino
A new Pamunkey Indian Tribe casino may soon arrive in Norfolk county. However, some residents are questioning the fast-paced vote on the new Virginia casino.
The authorities have scheduled a vote on the casino for today, but there will be a comment period before it.
Councilwoman Andria McClellan raised several questions in a Facebook post about the deal for the new Virgnia casino.
“As has been noted by others, the idea of this casino has been discussed in closed session by the Council over the course of the last year. In total, I believe the amount of time devoted to these discussions among us has been 3-4 hours,” she wrote.
“I did share with my Council colleagues my concerns that 1) I didn’t think this was a slam dunk with our citizens and they needed to be provided the opportunity to provide input; and, 2) I was neutral on the project and my support, if at all, would be contingent on any revenue being directed to school construction/renovation and flood mitigation.”
