The development of a $500-million resort and casino project in Norfolk, Va., has again hit another delay.
A spokesperson for the resort casino said Norfolk city officials have asked to meet with members of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe before they present their plans to the Architecture Review Board (ARB). That meeting was scheduled for Monday. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is heading up the project and will own and operate the casino resort.
Jay Smith, a spokesperson for the casino said Monday, “Upon the recommendation of the City of Norfolk, HeadWaters Resort & Casino’s development team will not present its application for the Development Certificate to begin construction on the initial phase of its planned $500 million resort and casino project. Instead, the city has asked to meet with the Pamunkey Tribe and its development team on Tuesday, which the tribe has agreed to do.”
The continuance of the ARB meeting comes after the receipt by the Tribe of a letter from the city dated July 14, 2023, which contradicted the prior direction given to the Tribe and its development team in a March 1, 2023, letter from the city. Smith did not go into the details contained in the letters.
After receiving the July 14 letter, the Tribe responded with a letter noting conflicts in the city’s approach and requested a meeting to get clarity from the city on its proposed path to acquire the land and begin construction on the resort as soon as possible.
In a prepared statement, the Chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Robert Gray, said, “Despite changes of direction and the city’s desire to reduce the land we have available to build on, we intend to follow through on this pledge to build a $500 million resort and casino featuring a high-end 300-room hotel and other amenities. We are looking forward to a fresh start with the new city manager and his team on Tuesday. We remain committed to working closely with the city and our neighbors to make this the greatest resort and casino in Virginia.”
HeadWaters Resort & Casino won city approval with an overwhelming majority of residents voting in favor of the project in November 2020. Once fully operational, the project is anticipated to create thousands of jobs and provide tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue for the city, as well as generating nearly a billion dollars in annual economic impact for the area.
Five cities in Virginia were approved to develop casinos based on legislation passed in 2020. Three of the five cities have casinos open and operating today.
Virginia’s Casino Landscape
Hard Rock Bristol Casino opened a temporary facility in July 2022, Rivers Casino Portsmouth opened in January 2023 and Caesars Virginia Danville Casino opened a temporary location in May 2023.
In June, the first whole month with three casinos operating, the facilities generated over $52 million in adjusted gross revenue, according to the Virginia Lottery’s monthly report on casino gaming activity. The state collected over $9 million in taxes from the three locations during the month.
A fifth casino in Richmond was approved by the same state legislation in 2020 but was voted down by residents during a casino referendum in November 2021. But Richmond residents will get another shot to vote on the casino this November.
The Virginia Lottery and the Richmond Circuit Court have approved a do-over casino referendum to appear on ballots this fall.
Robust Sports Betting In The Old Dominion
In addition to the standard slot machines, table games, and poker action found at Virginia Casinos, each location has its own retail sportsbook for sports betting.
Bristol Casino has Hard Rock Bet, Rivers Casino Portsmouth has a BetRivers Sportsbook, and Danville Casino has a Caesars Sportsbook kiosk.
Meanwhile, the state has had a robust online sports betting industry in operation since January 2021.
The Virginia Lottery has awarded sports betting licenses to 17 operators for online/mobile wagering in the state:
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- Caesars Sportsbook
- Barstool Sportsbook
- PointsBet
- BetRivers Sportsbook
- WynnBET
- Hard Rock Bet
- Unibet
- Bally’s Bet
- SI Sportsbook
- Betway
- Golden Nugget Sportsbook (sold to Draft Kings in August 2021)
- Bet365
- Betfred Sportsbook
- Betr Sportsbook
Sports betting operators in the Commonwealth have handled over $10 billion in bets since its start.
