According to officials, the casino will bring in less than half of Norfolk’s initial tax income.

Even if the sum is far less than anticipated, Norfolk officials insist the city will still gain.
In 2018, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and Tennessee millionaire Jon Yarbrough envisioned what would have become Virginia’s first and only casino. The tribal casino was to be primarily owned by the Pamunkey, who were granted federal status in 2015.

Then, in 2020, the state authorized commercial casinos, changing the gaming environment in Virginia.

Commercial casinos, such as the Norfolk casino’s nearest rival, Rivers Casino in Portsmouth, were able to open more quickly and with fewer obstacles than tribal casinos. There were years of delays at Norfolk’s casino. The original plan was trimmed back by its creators, which also resulted in lower tax revenue projections.

According to early estimates, the Norfolk casino would bring in up to $33 million in taxes annually for the city. According to an email that WHRO was able to secure, that sum is now closer to $15 million.

After Norfolk Public Schools postponed voting on a closure plan, Norfolk City Councilman Tommy Smigiel sent the email to fellow council members in September. He cautioned the school board against making financial decisions based on out-of-date estimates of casino tax revenue.

Smigiel stated, “The casino revenue is not the safety net it has been portrayed to be at your meeting.”

The education system’s contribution will also decrease since the city will probably receive far less from the casino than first projected. At the same time, expensive projects like the building of Maury High School and the downtown floodwall project loom large in the city’s near future.

The declining tax income predictions, according to the casino project’s detractors, are a negative consequence for the city. According to Norfolk officials, the initiative is still beneficial overall.

The Pamunkey Tribe representative, Jay Smith, declined to confirm the revised estimates.

Uri Clinton, the council representative for Boyd Gaming, the developer of the casino proposal, similarly declined to provide new figures.

Clinton stated, “I’m not in a position to confirm what the projections are going to be, but they were submitted to the city and the Virginia Lottery.”

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