Virginia could host its first casino
After winning federal recognition, the Pamunkey Tribe’s plans could welcome Virginia to the casino gambling business.
US.- The Pamunkey Tribe is seeking approval to build a casino in a yet-to-be-determined location in Eastern Virginia. The facility would include a casino floor, a hotel with more than 1,200 rooms, a spa and a performance venue.
While plans to build a casino are not new, as the tribe won federal recognition in 2015, the Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray said on Saturday to The Washington Post that “federal recognition and the opportunities that a casino brings will mean greater job opportunities, more educational opportunities and the ability to provide better access to housing for our aging tribe members.” He said that a resort is a piece of the bigger vision and hope for their future.
The approval obtained in 2015 allowed the tribe to pursue a gambling development, as part of a move to make the tribe less dependent on government programs. If the Pamunkey Tribe build a casino, it would become the first one in Virginia, as it has a long-held ban on casino gambling.
