Petersburg Casino Bill to Share Revenue With Nearby Towns Faces Long Odds

On the same day the Virginia General Assembly convened for its 2025 session, Del. Mike Cherry (R-Colonial Heights) filed a bill to direct some of the tax revenue generated by the forthcoming Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia in Petersburg to surrounding communities. The bill is perhaps dead on arrival.

Cherry proposed the Central Virginia region take a page out of Bristol’s playbook where local officials agreed to share the tax benefit generated by the permanent Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, which opened in November. Cherry, whose Colonial Heights is immediately north of Petersburg, proposed forming a five-person commission with representatives from Petersburg, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie County, and Prince George County. The commission would determine how the Live! Casino tax revenue is allocated.

Cherry’s statute, House Bill 2322, faced immediate backlash.  

HB2232 attempts to impose revenue-sharing without prior discussion or consensus, making it an adjust and harmful measure,” a statement from the City of Petersburg read. “Such a forced mandate is particularly immoral when it targets a distressed city like Petersburg, depriving our locality of much-needed resources to support its many needs.”

The statement said Cherry didn’t consult the Petersburg City Council or any of the surrounding local governments before filing his bill. The city added that it didn’t seek revenue from Cherry’s Colonial Heights after many retail businesses moved to the South Park Mall, nor did it ask for revenue-sharing after Dominion Power moved its regional headquarters from Petersburg to Dinwiddie.

Cherry Responds 

Cherry, a military veteran who has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since January 2022, was quick to respond to the City of Petersburg’s grievances over his proposed law. Cherry reasoned that HB2232 would ensure that the casino “lift up the entire region” but it was not “intended in any way” to hurt Petersburg.

Revenue sharing was always part of the discussion surrounding the Petersburg casino project, and it played into my decision to vote yes on the bill that authorized last November’s referendum,” Cherry explained in a release. “And while those conversations did regretfully pause following Election Day, I am glad that regional leaders are once again discussing this important matter. I hope that they can focus not necessarily on revenue sharing, but specifically on accountability.”

Cherry, however, said he is “prepared to withdraw” the legislation should his meetings tomorrow with city and county officials not find adequate support for the statute. 

Youngkin Address Gaming

During his 2025 State of the State Address on Monday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) told the General Assembly that it’s time the commonwealth form a gaming commission to “consolidate the regulatory oversight of our vast gaming ecosystem under one entity.”

During subsequent remarks with the media, Youngkin also expressed hostility to providing a regulatory footing for controversial skill games. The governor vetoed legislation last year that would have allowed the slot-like games to return to small businesses holding liquor licenses.