On Tuesday, the Danville city Council passed a resolution in which the district court allowed a referendum to be held in November this year in the city of Virginia on the need to open a casino.
City officials approved the resolution a few weeks after the Virginia Lottery pre-certified a casino development proposal in the city.
Six of the nine city Council members voted in favor of the resolution during a meeting that took place on Tuesday evening. Two Council members were absent, while one of them attended the meeting but was unable to vote because he had not been sworn in since his election in may.
Now the Danville city attorney will send the decision to the Danville district court, where the judge must sign an order calling a special election by August 14 so that the question of whether to build a casino appears on the November 3 ballot.
Earlier this year, the Danville city Council selected Nevada-based casino Caesars Entertainment Inc. as its preferred casino developer. Caesars Entertainment Inc plans to invest about $ 400 million to build a casino complex in Danville if city voters vote in favor of the casino proposal this November.
Danville is one of five cities in Virginia that are allowed to host new full-scale casinos under legislation passed by state lawmakers earlier this year, with the other four being Richmond, Bristol, Portsmouth and Norfolk. We hope that gambling establishments will help these five cities improve their economy.
The property will be located on the former Dan River Mills industrial estate in Schoolfield. This complex will include a 500-room hotel, a casino with 2,000 slot machines, 75 table games, 16 poker tables and a bookmaker Department, several food and beverage stores, a 35,000-square-foot conference center and a 2,500-seat live hall, and an entertainment venue.
The casino complex is expected to generate $ 34 million annually revenue for the city. It is estimated that 1,300 permanent jobs will be created, being paid from $ 35,000 to $ 47,000 a year.
If the casino construction gains approval from residents this November, Caesars will have to apply for a license from the Virginia Lottery.
Last month the regulator announced that he had certified the offer in advance and when the time comes, it will be subjected to a more thorough test.
The Virginia Lottery also pre-certified the casino projects provided by the cities of Bristol, Norfolk and Portsmouth.
Bristol city Council approved a resolution back in mid-July recommending that a referendum be held in November. This city chose the Hard Rock International as its preferred operator of the casino.