A vote on a casino in Petersburg is closer to becoming reality
The Virginia General Assembly has passed legislation for a Petersburg casino, which now returns to the legislature. Governor Glenn Youngkin amended the bill to allow the city to qualify for a casino license.
Youngkin chose to amend Senate Bill 628 rather than veto it, taking issue with the bill’s reenactment clause.
The stipulation would have required a second vote by the Senate and the House of Delegates to allow Petersburg to be issued a gaming license from the Virginia Lottery Board. The idea is that a revote would allow state lawmakers to better consider the probable impact of a casino in Petersburg.
Senator Lashrecse Aird and other Senators who backed SB628 hoped Youngkin would amend the Petersburg casino bill. Her colleagues in the upper chamber approved the House’s reenactment clause, thinking that the governor would take this action. “With the removal of the reenactment clause, this legislation moves closer to final approval to allow Petersburg to obtain the fifth and final license,” said Aird in a statement.
Only a simple majority vote from the House and Senate is needed to approve the governor’s changes. If Youngkin had vetoed the legislation, a two-thirds majority would have been required to override it.
The Virginia General Assembly will reconvene on April 17 to vote on the revised bill. If SB628 gains the simple majority, the bill would go into effect and allow the Petersburg City Council to proceed with seeking a casino developer.
City leaders will only consider applications from recognizable casino brands, and interested developers will be required to pay at least $60 million for an immediate one-time access fee to the city after approval.
The casino bill would go before Petersburg voters in November, and a simple majority of “yes” votes would be needed to move the project forward.
