Voters bet on casinos as Norfolk and Portsmouth vote to allow gambling

The house always wins.

Casino operators scored big wins in both Norfolk and Portsmouth once absentee ballots had been tallied Wednesday morning, showing overwhelming approval of a pair of referendums clearing the way for casino developments in those cities.

Once all the votes had been tallied Wednesday morning, the “Yes” vote on Norfolk’s referendum won by nearly a 2-to-1 ratio, with 64.4% of the vote, according to unofficial vote counts reported by the Norfolk General Registrar’s Office online.

“While every vote deserves to be counted, the residents of Norfolk have made it clear that they are excited about a resort and casino coming to the Mermaid City,” said Jay Smith, a representative for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which will develop the Norfolk casino.

Across the river, Portsmouth’s casino vote was a sure bet as well, with 66.69% of votes tallied Wednesday morning choosing “Yes," according to unofficial tallies from the state Department of Elections website.

The casino projects in Norfolk and Portsmouth were both supported by a bevy of state and local elected officials.

Meanwhile, a vocal opposition group partly backed by a would-be casino competitor had rallied to defeat the Norfolk referendum in recent weeks, citing concerns about environmental issues at the planned site of the casino, potential competition with existing local businesses and problems with transparency and how the deal was made.

A “Yes” result would give the green light to the two groups to get final clearance from the Virginia Lottery Board, which will oversee casino operations in the state, and to eventually start construction on two sites.

In Norfolk, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in partnership with Tennessee billionaire John Yarbrough would build a hotel casino resort along the Elizabeth River, next to Harbor Park.

In Portsmouth, Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming would build it’s hotel-casino complex near the city’s Tidewater Community College campus on Victory Boulevard.

The referendums are a necessary step for each of the five cities selected by the General Assembly to host casino gambling, and Portsmouth and Norfolk weren’t the only places casinos won big on Tuesday.

Similar referendums in both Bristol and Danville turned out the same way, with overwhelming support for approving casino gambling in those cities. Richmond, where the Pamunkey tribe plans to operate a second casino, is expected to hold its referendum next year.

Ryan Murphy, 757-739-8582, ryan.murphy@pilotonline.com