This November, voters in Petersburg, Virginia, will choose not just the next president of the United States but also whether or not to approve the opening of a commercial casino in their community.

The referendum wording that the city council had crafted was approved on Monday by Judge Dennis Martin of the Petersburg Circuit Court.

A week after the Virginia Lottery Board recognized Petersburg as a qualified host city for a commercial casino, the judge gave her the go-ahead. The lottery agency was given the responsibility of overseeing casino gaming and sports betting within the commonwealth under Virginia's 2020 commercial gaming law.

The referendum can now be printed on the local Petersburg ballots that will be presented to voters for the election on November 5th, thanks to Martin's permission. The project developers will be able to move forward with applying to the Virginia Lottery to gain a gaming concession in the commonwealth if a simple majority of voters approve the proposed casino.

Language for Referendums

On November 5, voters in Petersburg will have to decide on the following local ballot issue:

"Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in Petersburg, Virginia, located on an approximate 92.5-acre development site located off Interstate 95 at Wagner Road along Brassfield Parkway in the City of Petersburg as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?”

“Yes” and “no” checkboxes accompany the question. The specific location is where The Cordish Companies hopes to build and open an approximately $143 million casino within a year of a successful referendum.

Bruce Smith Enterprises, a commercial real estate company that specializes in mixed-use developments in the Mid-Atlantic, has collaborated with Cordish, which runs two casinos in adjacent Pennsylvania and Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in its home state. 2009 saw the induction of Norfolk, Virginia native Bruce Smith into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Cordish and Smith claim that a $454 million construction phase would turn the $143 million casino into a fully fledged integrated resort. The proposed $597 million development project, named Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia, would comprise an elegant 200-room hotel, a fitness facility and pool area at the resort, 35,000 square feet of convention space, and a concert hall with seating for 3,000 people.

Regarding the casino, Cordish and Smith—who together operate under the name PPE Casino Resorts Petersburg, LLC—state that there will be 1,000 slot machines on the permanent gaming floor, along with 23 table games with live dealers, a special 15-table poker area, and a sportsbook.

According to the development team, the casino resort would generate 7,500 jobs with an average salary of roughly $70K, including benefits.

In 2004, the all-time leader in sacks in the NFL, Bruce Smith Enterprise, was established. The Swedish Embassy, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and the Harbourside Office Building—all located in the nation's capital—are a few of the firm's noteworthy work. In Blacksburg, the business also constructed the housing complex Smith's Landing.

Floated Investment of $1.4B

In addition to the casino resort, PPE has promised to add a variety of mixed-use attractions to the complex over the course of the first 15 years of operation. In addition to residential units and commercial office space, the project designs feature a hotel that is not a casino, situated apart from the casino complex.

According to Cordish and Bruce Smith, the project will likely cost up to $1.4 billion in total when it is finished.