Katie Farthing, Copy Editor
Lelia Contee, Contributing Writer
Aria Lovelace, Contributing Writer
Richmond City Council approved the proposed ONE Casino + Resort on June 25 to be on the ballot come the Nov. 7 elections.
The casino was previously up for referendum in 2021, but lost with 49.05% of the vote, according to VPAP.
The casino is a joint venture between Urban ONE, a Maryland-based Black-owned media company, and Churchill Downs Incorporated, a Kentucky-based entertainment company, according to the Resort Casino City Council presentation.
It will be located at 2001 Walmsley Blvd. and 4700 Trenton Ave., spanning 97 acres, and include 250 rooms, a casino, 55-acre park, production studios, entertainment videos and more, according to the presentation.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney stated the casino is a good opportunity for Richmond and thanked the City of Richmond’s Resort Evaluation Panel for their vetting of the proposals, according to a City of Richmond press release.
“The project will create over 1,000 good paying jobs, generate a significant amount of new revenue for the city and establish an additional economic engine in South Richmond,” Stoney stated.
Others are opposed to the casino. Richmond Lodge No. 1 of the Good Lions, a nonprofit organization that holds charitable gaming events in the Southside, filed to appeal the City Council’s decision.
The organization is appealing on grounds that the “Council has exceeded to authority delegated to it by the General Assembly” and the “Council violated the Constitution of Virginia by selecting the Operator through a no-bid process in 2023,” according to the motion.
Paul Goldman is the founder of No Means No Casino, a local committee campaigning against the ONE Casino + Resort.
Goldman said he is worried about the exploitative nature of casinos and how it could impact Richmond’s community. He was a leader in the 2021 campaign against the casino and is advocating against it again in 2023.
“It isnʼt just David versus Goliath, itʼs David versus Goliathʼs whole family,” Goldman said, comparing the campaign against the casino to the biblical story of a young boy fighting a giant.
The casino was originally marketed as the first Black-owned casino in the country, but he’s not sure that remains true or relevant, according to Goldman.
“It doesn’t matter who owns it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s union jobs,” Goldman said. “This exploits the poor and the working class. You could try to cover it up with all kinds of other stuff. Paper it over. But sorry, it is what it is.”
Goldman said the city council shouldn’t have put the casino on the ballot a second time, let alone the first time.
“Just because you have the right to do something doesn’t make it the right thing to do,” Goldman said. “They [city council] had the right to vote, but they shouldn’t have put it on the ballot.”
Goldman spends Wednesday mornings campaigning against the casino with students at VCU, he said.
“The group that should be the most against the casino is the group that should be the strongest believer in social justice, which is the students in Richmond,” Goldman said.
SAUCE, or Students Against Unconscionable Casino Exploitation, a student-run branch of No Means No Casino, set up a table in the VCU University Student Commons on Sep. 25 and spoke with students about the casino.
VCU junior and group member Casey Marin said she joined the organization after taking time off school to work in politics and saw the casino referendum was coming back.
A large concern is the out of state companies involved and their lack of interest in Richmond but in making money instead, Marin said.
“Itʼs not at all about us as a community, as a city,” Marin said. “But I have a lot of faith in the community of Richmond to stick it to them.”
SAUCE is worried about how the casino will impact college students, according to Marin.
“We’re in college. There’s very heavy drinking,” Marin said. “With the casino down the road that leads to alcohol abuse, gambling, addiction.”
Ariana Gonzales, a senior biology student, said she didn’t know much about the casino and its impact. She had only seen advertisements about the jobs and economic growth it could offer.
“I’m pro-jobs for the community, but I don’t know in what ways it would affect the economy, such as raising prices in Richmond, or inflation in the area, or surrounding area from the casino,” Gonzales said.
Another VCU student Nate Strong said the casino could offer new opportunities but there are certainly dangers.
“We have a lot of addiction problems in Richmond, and I feel like addictive personalities would certainly be drawn to it,” Strong said.
Catalina Lara, a junior business and management student, said the casino could bring in a lot of money, but she knows casinos bring up a lot of issues.
“It’s good for business, it’s good for the economy, but it’s bad for some people,” Lara said. “I don’t know if gentrification comes into play, I don’t know, but it could be good, it could be bad.”
Jonathan Harewood, a Richmond resident and owner of the Bland Gallery, rents out a house on the Southside.
“I’d rather they have an arena, sports arena so I could bring in revenue for the city,” Harewood said. “They already got one [casino], Rosie’s.”
Harewood said he doesnʼt support casinos but understands people that do.
“I donʼt care for it really. I donʼt condone gambling,” Harewood said. “But people got to make their ends meet.”
UrbanONE and Churchill Downs did not respond by the time of this article’s publication.
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