Headwaters Resort & Casino (Proposed)

[Virginia City]

Hell, the virus might prevent the governors office from even getting a chance to review it and the deadline will come and go. He has much bigger things to worry about right now.

[vdogg]

Why is he drawing this out right now? It's nonsensical, what is he thinking? With the economy as bad as it is right now, we'll need all the help we can get. Just sign the bill...

https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/virginia-gov-ralph-northam-yet-to-sign-casino-bill/

[Qdeathstar]

knew it was too good to be true...

[Willy18]

Clearly his pen isn't broke...hes been signing away lately. I'll keep my views/opinions to myself.  

[Buildthetowers]

Folks, The world as you know and want is gone and will change for a lot worse soon!  You will not see a casino here or any reopen. 

[vdogg]

8 hours ago, Buildthetowers said:

Folks, The world as you know and want is gone and will change for a lot worse soon!  You will not see a casino here or any reopen. 

This is not true. In a move of weakness and indecision reminiscent of VB City Council Northam neither signed nor vetoed the bill. Under Virginia’s constitution the bill has become law. Final step is November referendum. Barring additional calamity (it is 2020 after all) the measure should easily pass in Portsmouth and Norfolk.

http://www.supertalkwfhg.com/2020/04/12/update-virginia-casino-legislation-becomes-law-under-constitution-rule/?utm_campaign=update-virginia-casino-legislation-becomes-law-under-constitution-rule&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss

 

[vdogg]

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/constitution/article5/section6/
“(b) During a regular or special session, the Governor shall have seven days in which to act on the bill after it is presented to him and to exercise one of the three options set out below. If the Governor does not act on the bill, it shall become law without his signature.”

Thank you Virginia Constitution. This provision saved our behinds. I still cannot fathom what it was that caused him not to sign the bill...

[vdogg]

Now I don’t know what to believe. It seems no one knows exactly what’s going on. According to this source Northam has amended the bill (could’ve done this a month ago without all the last minute theatrics ).
https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/local/northam-amends-casino-legislation/article_d53ed8eb-0521-5ccd-971b-55d090a32c23.html

 

[Up2313]

It may be about optics. He might be worried about signing a bill about gambling in the middle of a pandemic. 

[vdogg]

10 hours ago, Up2313 said:

It may be about optics. He might be worried about signing a bill about gambling in the middle of a pandemic. 

Nah, he wants to funnel the state’s portion of the money to schools. I’m fine with that, but the last minute theatrics were unnecessary. He knew he wanted to do that a month ago. Signing a casino bill during a pandemic is good optics because people need jobs and we’re going to need a lot of them to dig ourselves out of this financial hole in any reasonable timeframe.

[Virginia City]

Optics seems to be something that the governor cares little about imo.

[HRVA]

I don’t think there were any theatrics involved. He acted on a number of bills at Saturday’s deadline. Doesn’t seem like he treated the casino bill any differently other than requesting the amendment - which doesn’t change anything other than dedicating the money to schools. This doesn’t change the timeline - it’s still going to be on the ballot in November. 

[BFG]

If I'm reading this correctly, the holdup may have come from the fact that Northam wanted the bills amended so that revenues go towards school construction.

 https://www.richmond.com/news/report-northam-wants-to-amend-casino-bill-in-order-to-fund-school-construction/article_e0509738-dfb8-536c-86bb-42eb4a0ada2d.html?fbclid=IwAR09h_OCoKVce39qKNTX5ro3LpGKiVS1oHC8ynlJ7PmGPmer9mrBmZWj0UE

So I'm lost. Is the Pamunkey proposal dead, and is it going to a referendum?

[vdogg]

1 hour ago, BFG said:

If I'm reading this correctly, the holdup may have come from the fact that Northam wanted the bills amended so that revenues go towards school construction.

 https://www.richmond.com/news/report-northam-wants-to-amend-casino-bill-in-order-to-fund-school-construction/article_e0509738-dfb8-536c-86bb-42eb4a0ada2d.html?fbclid=IwAR09h_OCoKVce39qKNTX5ro3LpGKiVS1oHC8ynlJ7PmGPmer9mrBmZWj0UE

So I'm lost. Is the Pamunkey proposal dead, and is it going to a referendum?

Where are you seeing that? The Pamunkey proposal is alive and well, but the amended bill will need to be passed for there to be a referendum.

[HRVA]

1 hour ago, BFG said:

If I'm reading this correctly, the holdup may have come from the fact that Northam wanted the bills amended so that revenues go towards school construction.

 https://www.richmond.com/news/report-northam-wants-to-amend-casino-bill-in-order-to-fund-school-construction/article_e0509738-dfb8-536c-86bb-42eb4a0ada2d.html?fbclid=IwAR09h_OCoKVce39qKNTX5ro3LpGKiVS1oHC8ynlJ7PmGPmer9mrBmZWj0UE

So I'm lost. Is the Pamunkey proposal dead, and is it going to a referendum?

My understanding is the only change is that the states share of the revenue will be directed towards school construction projects. The legislature can either accept the change and it will be passed (which seems to be the likely outcome) or they refuse the change and it goes back to Northam to either pass or veto. Session is next week & will allow enough time for all proposals to be on the ballot in November in their respective municipalities, including Norfolk & Portsmouth. The Pamunkey have proposed a casino in Richmond in addition to their Norfolk proposal but aren’t as far along on the Richmond proposal. 

[BFG]

17 minutes ago, vdogg said:

Where are you seeing that? The Pamunkey proposal is alive and well, but the amended bill will need to be passed for there to be a referendum.

I didn't mean to imply I saw it in the article. I just didn't know whether it was still on the table. It's been a while since we discussed it, so I think that's why I was confused.

[vdogg]

Casino legislation has received final approval from the General Assembly. Last step is the referendum in the fall.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.richmond.com/news/virginia/update-house-and-senate-back-northams-proposed-delay-of-minimum-wage-increase/article_4eb03a05-e4a5-5219-a8e5-0801c2413710.amp.html

[vdogg]

https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/a-watershed-moment/

"Perhaps the biggest attention-grabber in Norfolk in recent years has been the $700 million resort-style casino being planned by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.

The General Assembly recently passed legislation allowing commercial casino gambling in Virginia. Aside from Norfolk, the legislation would permit casinos in four other cities: Portsmouth, Richmond, Danville and Bristol.

Before it can proceed, the Pamunkey casino also would require public approval through a local referendum planned for the November ballot.

As initially outlined by the tribe, which is partnering with Tennessee investor Jon Yarbrough, the casino complex would be built on 13 acres east of the Norfolk Tides Harbor Park Stadium and would include a 500-room hotel and five to seven onsite restaurants.

The annual direct economic impact for Norfolk was projected to be $787 million, with about 6.7 million visitors annually.

But Jay Smith, a spokesman for the Pamunkey Tribe, says those projections and the scale of the project might be affected if a proposed casino is built in neighboring Portsmouth..."

[vdogg]

Looks like the Pamunkey are still bullish on the casino.

https://www.virginiamercury.com/2020/05/11/casinos-are-shuttered-across-america-but-gaming-interests-say-theyre-still-coming-to-virginia/

"The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is moving forward on its plan to build a casino in Norfolk and has not shelved its more speculative plan to try for a second casino in Richmond. Jay Smith, a spokesman working with the tribe on its development efforts, said that, unlike more established gaming operators, the tribe doesn’t have big revenue sources that have dried up due to the coronavirus crisis.

“They didn’t have money to start with that they’re losing so it hasn’t really affected them and their ability to move forward,” Smith said. “We’re still two years away from opening probably at this point. But any time you’re talking about jobs jobs jobs, in this economy, it’s a good thing.”

The Pamunkey Tribe’s casino plans are being financed by Tennessee businessman Jon Yarbrough, who made his fortune in the tribal gambling industry."

 

 

[Qdeathstar]

Gotta ask ole jon what he thinks, since he is the guy who matters.  I remember the AFL was real bullish on their operations, but lost their investor....

[vdogg]

1 hour ago, Qdeathstar said:

Gotta ask ole jon what he thinks, since he is the guy who matters.  I remember the AFL was real bullish on their operations, but lost their investor....

I'm certain they're in constant contact, and I can't really see Yarborough backing away from his casino being first in  HR/VA.

[vdogg]

Virginia lottery board will begin prelimary review of all casino plans on June 1st. Review is expected to take 45 days, during which time we should get a better idea for the size and scope of the project.

https://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/virginia-lottery-releases-casino-review-schedule/article_a1a61db4-8053-5926-921a-81c1fcad09db.html

Quote

This week, the lottery notified those five cities it will accept and begin reviewing preliminary certification materials on June 1. Those reviews must be completed within 45 days.

The lottery board is expected to meet in mid-July, and — once plans are approved — relevant courts in the five cities are to order the casino gaming referendum added to local ballots by Aug. 14.

Voting is to occur Nov. 3 in conjunction with the presidential election, although Richmond was given permission to stage its vote at another time.

 

[BFG]

Council decides to build the casino on non-tribal land, so that the city can collect tax revenue instead of an annual payment. The Pamunkey tribe still plans to build downtown.

https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/vp-nw-norfolk-casino-pamunkey-portsmouth-rush-20200527-igcpqink2bbkhgiiazail5dd4m-story.html

[vdogg]

From an article on another site, the project has grown in scope after initially being reduced.

https://www.wtkr.com/news/city-of-norfolk-selects-citys-preferred-casino-operator?fbclid=IwAR2actCAf4dMAw9TRyqb88TZY-Z34W_O-1Zv77cI1Yrqcm4pF_Qf0okyMFY

"The $500 million resort will include a four-diamond, 300-room full service hotel with a variety of onsite restaurants and other dining options, a luxurious spa and an entertainment venue that will be able to seat 2,500.

The project will create more than 2,000 construction jobs and provide nearly 2,500 ongoing, full-time jobs when fully operational."

[baobabs727]

Excellent news all around.