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The opposition has also expressed concerns that a casino on Richmond’s Southside would negatively impact Black communities, which are more susceptible to gambling and gambling disorders, according to behavioral health experts. Researchers at Rutgers University’s Center for Gambling Studies say Black people have over twice the rate of gambling addictions compared with white people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But Stoney and the Richmond City Council, including Reva Trammell, who represents the 8th District Southside, say the casino would bring much-needed economic investment and good-paying jobs to the area.<\/p>\n
Richmond Fifth and Final City<\/b><\/h2>\n
Virginia lawmakers in 2020 passed legislation allowing voters in five cities that met certain economic hardships to consider a casino to ignite their local economies. Four of those cities, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, and Danville, held referendums that November where locals backed allowing a commercial casino.<\/p>\n
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Richmond, which garnered the most interest from casino companies, delayed its gaming referendum to 2021 to allow a competitive bidding process to play out. Richmond’s city government ultimately picked Urban One despite the Black-focused media conglomerate’s lack of experience developing or running a casino.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The 2021 vote was largely split among affluent neighborhoods north of the James River that opposed the casino. Areas south of the city more supported the Urban One pitch, which, at the time, was in conjunction with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment. Urban One is now teamed with Churchill Downs after it acquired most of Peninsula Pacific’s assets in 2022 for $2.5 billion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recent polling data reveals a divided electorate in the Richmond casino referendum, casting uncertainty over the outcome of the upcoming vote on a proposed casino project by Urban One and Churchill Downs in Virginia’s capital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":296725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,61],"tags":[13363,82008,88429,82130,88121,84501,81995],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Richmond Casino Poll Shows Split Electorate<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n