\n Posted on: August 14, 2024, 01:58h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: August 14, 2024, 01:58h.\n <\/p>\n
![\"Avatar](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-4-1-50x50.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe developers behind the would-be Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia resort project in Petersburg have assembled their referendum campaign team.<\/span><\/p>\n The Cordish Companies, the Baltimore-based gaming and hospitality firm behind Live!-branded casinos and entertainment districts across the country, is the preferred gaming developer of the City of Petersburg. <\/span><\/p>\n In a little more than a month, early voting will begin in Virginia, with local voters in Petersburg being fronted with a ballot question asking them to approve a commercial casino project<\/a> located off Interstate 95 at Wagner Road along Brasfield Parkway.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n If a simple majority of the Petersburg vote backs the Live! casino pitch, Cordish and development partner Bruce Smith Enterprises will be cleared to move forward with applying for a gaming license from the Virginia Lottery, which regulates casinos and sports betting in the commonwealth<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Cordish and Bruce Smith recently announced plans to get out the vote in support of what the developers believe will electrify Petersburg\u2019s economy. Per the United States Census Bureau, 22.2% of the city\u2019s population lives below the federal poverty level, which includes individuals earning less than $15,000 per year or a family of four in a household with income below $32,000.<\/span><\/p>\n Cordish and Bruce Smith have brought on prominent local community activists Ja\u2019Scotta Jefferson and Preston Page to serve as co-campaign managers for the 2024 Petersburg casino referendum<\/a>. Two duo, Cordish and Bruce Smith said in a release, bring expertise and passion \u201cwith a proven track record in community engagement, strategic communication, and campaign management.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Bringing this casino resort project to Petersburg is more than entertainment \u2014 it\u2019s an opportunity to boost our local economy, create sustainable jobs, and generate much-needed revenue for community projects and services,\u201d said Page. \u201cFor too long Petersburg has been overlooked by major economic development projects. I am excited to play a part in making this dream become a reality for Petersburg and continue to thoughtfully find ways to create community-changing opportunities for residents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Cordish and Bruce Smith hope to invest $600 million<\/a> to open a 200-room hotel with eight restaurants, a resort-style pool, 35,000 square feet of convention space, a 3,000-seat concert hall, and a casino floor with approximately 1,600 slot machines, 50 live dealer table games, a 15-table poker room, and a sportsbook.<\/span><\/p>\n With the median household income in Petersburg less than $50,000 and per capita income below $30,000, the developers behind Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia say the resort will bring hope for a better life to thousands of city residents.<\/span><\/p>\n The casino would be expected to directly employ 1,500 people on average wages and benefits of $70,000. That influx of living-wage jobs, paired with revenue generated by the casino resort, would over the first 10 years of operation deliver $2.8 billion in economic stimulus to the region, Cordish and Smith claim.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cA project such as this will bring new positive change and economic benefits to the City of Petersburg,\u201d said Jefferson. \u201cPetersburg is a hidden gem. It\u2019s time to let it shine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With its location along the Appomattox River, Petersburg\u2019s economy first relied on the cultivation and manufacturing of tobacco<\/a>. The British-American Tobacco Co. (BAT), which later became Brown and Williamson Tobacco Co. (B&W), were the city\u2019s chief employers and taxpayers for many decades.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Petersburg\u2019s economic downfall began in 1985 when B&W closed its Petersburg operations to consolidate its business in Georgia. Inner-city blight, increased unemployment, crime, and property abandonment, contributed to subsequent racial and social problems.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Live!](\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/QNJOJ_qg-858x572.jpg\")
Campaign Launch<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Economic Benefits<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n