Virginia’s Newest Casino Opens Its Doors To The Public

After more than four years of legislative fights, failed votes, and political twists, Petersburg, Virginia’s long casino push ended Thursday when Live! Casino Virginia celebrated its scheduled 5 p.m. opening.

The effort dates back to November 2021, when Virginia lawmakers were dealing with the aftermath of the state’s first major expansion of casino gambling. In 2020, the General Assembly approved casinos in five cities: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Richmond, all pending voter approval. Petersburg was not included.

Voters in four of the five cities approved their casino referendums. Richmond did not. As reported by the Petersburg Progress-Index, the Richmond proposal failed by about 1,500 votes after a late opposition campaign raised concerns about crime and financial strain.

Nine days later, then-state Sen. Joe Morrissey introduced legislation to replace Richmond with Petersburg as the fifth casino city. Petersburg officials quickly backed the idea, arguing a casino could bring in money for schools, infrastructure, and tax relief, according to the paper.

Richmond lawmakers fought back, pushing for a second referendum instead of letting Petersburg take the spot. Over the next two years, bills allowing a Petersburg casino repeatedly stalled in the Senate Finance Committee, while Richmond continued to press for another vote.

At one point, the General Assembly ordered a study by the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission. The study found a casino would benefit Petersburg, but also concluded that having casinos in both Richmond and Petersburg would be better, the report said. Petersburg leaders rejected that idea, and the fight continued.

The situation changed in 2023. Morrissey lost his Democratic primary to Lashrecse Aird. Later that year, Richmond voters rejected a second casino referendum, this time by a wider margin than the first.

Back to the front

With Richmond out of the picture, Petersburg moved back into position. In January 2024, Aird introduced new legislation allowing a Petersburg casino referendum. With Democrats in control of both chambers, the bill passed and became law.

That November, Petersburg voters overwhelmingly approved the casino. More than 80% voted “yes,” the highest approval rate for any casino referendum in Virginia, according to the Progress-Index.

The city selected The Cordish Companies as its casino developer, a decision that drew criticism and accusations of a flawed public process, the paper reported. City officials denied those claims, and the controversy eventually faded as the project moved forward.

Cordish later added Pro Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith as a local development partner, which helped boost public support.

Construction followed, and on Jan. 22, 2026, some 1,533 days after the first legislation was introduced, Petersburg’s casino effort reached the finish line.