Judge suspends Richmond casino vote approval
Judge William Marchant will revise his decision to allow a second referendum.
US.- Richmond Circuit Court chief judge William Reilly Marchant has temporarily suspended the decision made on July 25 to allow a second Richmond casino referendum on the November 7 ballot. The move comes after Richmond Lodge No. 1 of the Good Lions accused the city of improperly awarding a casino contract without a public bidding process.
The judge will decide on August 23 whether to allow the charity to take the matter to court. The parties involved have until tomorrow (Friday) to submit legal arguments.
The Virginia Lottery had approved the city council’s plans to hold a second referendum on the casino proposal from RVA Entertainment Holdings, comprising Churchill Downs and Urban One. A previous referendum was narrowly voted down by residents in November 2021.
Urban One’s plan was to construct a 90,000 square foot gaming floor with 2,000 slot machines, over 100 gaming tables, a competition poker room and a sportsbook. A hotel would have offered 250 4-Star, AAA 4-Diamond luxury rooms, with the possibility to expand to 600.
See also: Workers’ unions back second Richmond casino referendum
