A long-planned Norfolk casino project is closer than ever to beginning construction, as the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and Boyd Gaming are moving through the city’s regulatory process.
The advancements include some major changes. Development leaders said they have dropped a former financial backer and confirmed plans to install a temporary casino at the site to meet a deadline.
Pamunkey Indian Tribe Chief Robert Gray and Boyd Gaming Executive Vice President Uri Clinton discussed the changes in an interview Wednesday.
Jon Yarbrough , the Tennessee billionaire who originally created the company that oversees the casino development, is no longer involved with the project, Gray said. He is being replaced by Boyd as the majority owner of that company, Golden Eagle Consulting, said project spokesperson Jay Smith. The tribe also will have a 20% equity interest, according to city documents.
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Gray said it was always the tribe’s intent to find a professional management team for the Norfolk project, and said they had met with several companies.