Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray says revenue from a casino would allow the tribe to be more self-sufficient. (Photo courtesy Pamunkey Indian Tribe)
Although the General Assembly cleared a path for casinos to enter five Virginia cities, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s bid to open a multimillion-dollar gambling establishment in Richmond is likely still years away.
In January, the tribe announced plans to build a $350 million casino resort, aiming for a AAA four-diamond rating for a 275-room hotel tower with a 1,000-space parking garage across three parcels in the Manchester neighborhood, along with a fourth plot along Jefferson Davis Highway serving as a workforce training center. At the time, Pamunkey spokesperson Jay Smith said the tribe would use its casino earnings to lessen its reliance on federal aid and improve access to housing, health care and educational opportunities for its members. Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray echoed those hopes after state lawmakers opened Virginia to casinos this year.
“It’s fairly limited what the federal government is able to do, and we'd like to get out of that practice and just stand self-sufficient and truly exercise our sovereignty,” Gray says. “Being able to employ our people, provide adequate housing, medical care and educational opportunities, those are probably some of the biggest things that we see benefiting our tribe.”
The state legislature passed the bill this year after Gov. Ralph Northam amended it to direct the state’s share of gaming revenues toward school repairs and construction. However, the new law still needs to pass by voter referendum in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond before a casino can break ground in those locations.
If the measure is approved by voters, a 2019 study by the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that casinos could generate approximately $970 million in net gaming revenue annually, resulting in about $260 million in state gaming taxes each year.
“Being able to employ our people, provide adequate housing, medical care and educational opportunities, those are ... the biggest things that we see benefiting our tribe.” —Chief Robert Gray, Pamunkey Indian Tribe
Though the measure requires the localities to hold voter referendums this November, Richmond can opt to postpone its vote because city officials haven’t yet contracted a preferred casino operator. City administrators began drafting timelines to kick-start a contract bidding process before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, but uncertainty caused by the health crisis makes a 2020 vote unlikely.
“This coronavirus thing has just taken everything else off the agenda — no one has been having any conversation about [the casino],” says 6th District City Councilmember Ellen Robertson, whose district includes the planned site of the tribe’s South Side casino. “Certainly, the city is not going to be in a position to put this on the ballot by November for the same reason, so we’re talking as much as a year before we’d even be ready to put it on the ballot.”
As a federally recognized tribe, the Pamunkey are also able to pursue a casino in the city under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act because Richmond is part of its historical trading and hunting grounds. However, Smith says the Pamunkey tribe remains committed to competing for a chance to build a casino in Richmond through the pathway created by the General Assembly, whether the vote happens in 2020 or 2021. Alongside the Richmond project, Norfolk city leaders signed a casino development agreement with the Pamunkey this year.
A rendering of the Pamunkey's proposed Manchester casino (Image courtesy Pamunkey Indian Tribe)
While the Pamunkey tribe was the first to signal interest in developing a Richmond casino, it may not be the only game in town. Colonial Downs Group spokesperson Mark Hubbard says the company, which operates Rosie’s gaming parlors in Richmond and across the state, looks forward to conversations with the city as it seeks to bring a casino to Richmond. Colonial Downs Group is owned by Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, which already has casinos in New York, Iowa and Louisiana.
Despite the tribe’s enthusiasm, South Side residents voiced concerns around the development proposal at a community forum hosted by Robertson in February. There, members of nearby neighborhood associations worried the casino would be too close to residential neighborhoods if built on the planned Manchester site, saying it could attract increased crime and unwanted traffic.
“We’ve fought hard to bring peace and stability to the South Side,” says Barbara Starkey-Goode, vice president of the Oak Grove Civic Association. “With the great strides we have made, we cannot afford to fall back into fighting crime that is not even of our own making.”
In response, Smith says the tribe could adapt its plans to address community concerns, and it hasn’t yet closed on purchasing the four South Side parcels eyed for development. For her part, Robertson says the Manchester site is probably off the table, "as far as the community is concerned.”
“The tribe is open to the idea of a different location, that’s one of the benefits of having an option on it and having not purchased it,” Smith says. “We remain flexible in terms of doing something that will make sense for the community and the city as a whole.”