PETERSBURG – Amid an atmosphere that was part pep rally and part church revival, city leaders and developers of the proposed $1.4 billion casino and hotel development officially opened the headquarters of the campaign to persuade voters to approve the Nov. 5 gambling referendum.
“It’s game time!” co-developer Bruce Smith, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, told around 100 people Thursday morning inside the former Petersburg Pickers and Rose’s Rexall Drug store on North Sycamore Street. That comment was one of many that drew loud cheers from the pro-casino crowd.
Smith, the owner of Norfolk-based Bruce Smith Enterprise, and Maryland-based The Cordish Companies, set up the office to serve as the nerve center of the three-month campaign. Staffed by two paid employees and several volunteers, the headquarters will provide yard signs and other promotional materials, and act as a phone bank and a site for setting canvassing strategies between now and Election Day.
“We are going to do great things in the city of Petersburg,” Smith said, noting the projected $200 million annual revenue that would fund long-needed infrastructure and educational improvements.
Pushing the vote
While all projected revenue increases and other benefits sound good, Smith said, all of it could go by the wayside without voter support.
“But first, we have to get out and vote,” he told the crowd. “All of this will be in vain if we don’t do our part in making sure everyone is informed of what’s at stake.”
Fliers have already been circulated to residents asking not only for support but also for that support to come quickly. Early voting for the election starts Sept. 20, and the developers are driving home that point in their campaign materials.
Opposition, while relatively quiet now, is expected to surface as the pro-casino campaign intensifies. Most anti-casino residents claim that gambling will hurt Petersburg by drawing more crime and enticing citizens already struggling financially to lose even more money on slots and table games.
None of that, however, was to be found at Wednesday’s opening. Speakers talked up the boost in jobs and other economic interests that will be a Petersburg-first priority.
Cordish has already talked with local community colleges about creating training programs for dealers and other entertainment personnel for jobs that it claims will start at $70,000 annually.
“Most of the jobs do not require college degrees,” Cordish chief operating officer Zed Smith told the gathering. “Imagine not going to college and still being able to get a job that pays $70,000.”
Where would Petersburg's casino be?
Should it pass the voters Nov. 5, the casino – or at least a temporary one – would be Cordish’s second one to open within a year. The company is putting the finishing touches on its newest property in Bossier City, Louisiana and plans to have it up and running by the end of this year.
Cordish already operates casino-centric complexes in Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and has developed entertainment districts in major U.S. cities such as Kansas City and St. Louis in Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky.
The developers are looking to build on a 92-acre parcel on Brasfield Parkway just off Wagner Road and Interstate 95 in southern Petersburg. In addition to the casino, hotel and entertainment venue, Cordish and BSE want to build up a mixed-use business and residential community around the casino.
Petersburg is looking to join Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth as Virginia’s five casino-host cities designed by the Virginia General Assembly. Operations are already open in Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth, and are close to being out of the starting block in Norfolk.
Richmond was the original fifth host city, but voters there twice rejected referendums – opening the door for Petersburg to be considered.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: 'Game time': Developers join city leaders to open Petersburg casino-campaign headquarters
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