Despite its 2021 ballot defeat, the prospect of having a casino in Richmond is far from over. On Monday, Sept. 18, businessmen and community members gathered at Pine Camp Arts and Community Center to discuss the proposed Richmond Grand Casino and Resort, which will be on the ballot as a referendum question this November.
Spearheading the event was hopeful casino developer Alfred Liggins III, CEO of the Black-owned media enterprise Urban One. Also in attendance were his new partners at Churchill Downs, a company most famously known for owning the Kentucky Derby racetrack. The two companies joined forces in 2022 following the initial referendum’s defeat.
Liggins said he “fought long and hard” for a casino in Richmond and hoped the addition of Churchill Downs would help change the outcome after the first referendum.
William Carstanjen, Churchill Downs’ CEO, emphasized the casino’s lucrative potential. He said the casino would provide at least $30 million in revenue for the city, provide 1,300 good-paying jobs and feature a 55-acre public park in Southside Richmond.
The two CEOs explained that the project was entirely privately funded, meaning no taxpayer dollars would go into its development. It’s projected to cost $562 million, but Liggins suspects the final total will be near $600 million.
In June 2023, the Richmond City Council approved placing the casino on the November ballot following its narrow 49%-51% defeat in 2021. Many key features of the casino remain unchanged, including its location at 2001 Walmsley Blvd in South Richmond. The most notable changes include the addition of a pickleball court and the promise of 1,300 union-backed jobs for casino workers. Workers would make an average of $55,000 a year and every job would come with health benefits.
Some of the event’s attendees opposed a second referendum because they said its subject matter was too similar to the first, which failed in a democratic process.
Randee Humphrey, a Richmond resident since 1984, said she attended the event to hear what Liggins and Carstanjen had to say, but feels the notion of a second referendum is undemocratic.
“The city has an unusual way of finding a workaround to try to force the issue yet again,” Humphrey said. “We had a result.”
Other groups in Richmond shared Humphrey’s sentiment. Richmond Lodge No. 1 of the Good Lions, Inc., which holds charitable gaming events weekly, filed a motion to reconsider the referendum in August 2023. Their motion was struck down by Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant, who stated that Good Lions’ case did not have legal standing due to its inability to prove any personal injury occurred because of the casino.
Sen. Chap Peterson, a Virginia General Assembly member who served as the Good Lions’ attorney, told The Collegian he thought the City Council should’ve been held accountable for placing the referendum back on the ballot without reopening a competitive bidding process for other businesses to bring a casino to Richmond.
“You can’t put the same vendor on the ballot year after year after year,” Peterson said.
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At the event on Monday, Liggins discussed how he used focus groups and surveys to understand the community’s priorities following the 2021 vote. Community investment, green space and top-tier entertainment all ranked high. He conducted this outreach to better understand the public’s concerns and generate broader support, he said.
Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity CEO Madelyn Peay said that the first referendum went largely under her radar. This time around, she thinks Liggins placed a much higher emphasis on community needs, she said.
If constructed, Richmond Grand Casino and Resort has pledged to donate $200,000 a year to Habitat for Humanity as part of a $16 million charitable donation to the city of Richmond, Liggins said.
Half of the casino’s restaurants, bars and other establishments would be local to Richmond, Liggins said. The Richmond Grand proposal has committed to sourcing at least 40% of ongoing contracts locally.
Toward the end of Monday’s event, Liggins called to the podium Sharon Ebert, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s deputy chief administrative officer. Ebert said the casino is particularly beneficial because of a $25 million one-time payout it promised the city on top of its $16 million charitable donation.
Ebert explained that a large part of that payout would go to an early childhood education trust fund.
“We all know that our children are the future of this city,” Ebert said. “We all know that childcare is way too expensive and not affordable and not accessible to everyone in this community.”
City Council member Katherine Jordan, who represents the 2nd District, and is the only council member who has routinely voted in opposition to the casino’s development, declined The Collegian’s request for comment.
In 2019, Virginia authorized five licenses to build casino resorts throughout the state after the General Assembly commissioned a comprehensive JLARC study and review. Four of these licenses have been claimed; only one remains. Casinos have been constructed in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Danville and Bristol, according to ABC8news. The Danville casino generated $21.4 million in July 2023, its second full month of operation, according to DanvilleVA.gov.
Carstanjen said this referendum is the last chance for Richmond to reap the economic benefits a casino could bring to the city, as winning the referendum would mean securing the final casino license.
“How many times does a community have a chance to get projects like this?” Carstanjen said.
Audience member Jesse Brown agreed. Brown has lived in Richmond for 17 years and said he was tired of what he saw as “no progress” made in this city.
“All these other casinos coming up, why don’t we get that money?” Brown said. “To help the children! To help the school system! To help childcare!”
Liggins told attendees that he could understand those who were morally opposed to a casino but hoped those folks could still see his vision.
“If you’re really morally against it, I get it. For religious reasons, for personal reasons, what have you,” Liggins said. “But I’m not a beer drinker. I’m not a cannabis consumer. And I don’t take a moral stance about what people decide to do with their lives as long as it's legal and not harming anybody.”
Virginians can check their registration status or register to vote in Virginia at this link. Early voting began Sept. 22 in Virginia. The Richmond Grand Casino and Resort will only be featured on the ballot of Richmond City voters, not voters in Henrico County.
Contact contributing writer Eliana Neil @eliana.neil@richmond.edu.
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