Plans call for gambling options including slots, an on-site sportsbook and table games a 250-room hotel a 55-acre (22-hectare) outdoor park dining options and a 3,000-seat concert venue.īoosters estimate the casino will deliver 1,300 permanent jobs, and developers are promising big financial benefits.Īn agreement with the city calls for a one-time upfront $25.5 million payment if the referendum passes, with another $1 million after financing closes. It could also include local investors if the referendum passes. It’s a joint venture between Urban One, a media company, and Churchill Downs, the Louisville-based operator of the Kentucky Derby that also runs gambling establishments across the country. The project - this time branded the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino - would be located on the same former tobacco company site just off I-95 in south Richmond that was identified in the first proposal. Many of the anti-casino signs that dotted the city in recent weeks have emphasized the fact that the city already said “no” once before. The proposal also faced a lesser-funded but organized opposition effort. The developers returned with a retooled proposal and invested around $10 million into a pro-casino campaign aimed at building support for the project, which has the backing of Mayor Levar Stoney and major area business groups.
