RICHMOND – After two years of snake-eyes in the state Senate, Petersburg finally hit the jackpot for getting its long-desired casino.
On Friday, that chamber, which had been a graveyard for the city’s hopes of ever getting a casino in town, approved Petersburg as the potentially fifth − and last, at least for now − Virginia city to host a state-sanctioned gambling club. The vote was 29-10, with 10 Republicans joining their Democratic colleagues in support.
Now, Petersburg’s proponents are hoping to parlay their Senate winnings into similar victory in the House of Delegates.
Friday was the first time the issue made it as far as the Senate floor. In previous years, it was killed in the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee. This time around, a major Petersburg casino opponent switched sides and actually was a chief co-sponsor of Senate Bill 628.
Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas, whose home district of Portsmouth is one of the five Virginia cities to go into the gambling business, joined Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, as a main patron. The bill also picked up bipartisan sponsorship from Republican Bryce Reeves of Orange County and Democrat Barbara Favola of Arlington.