Published on: November 4, 2024, 09:16h.
Last updated on: November 4, 2024, 09:16h.
The 2024 election is here, and while all eyes will be on whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris becomes the next president of the United States, several state gaming referendums stand to alter the landscape of the commercial gaming industry.
Voters in Arkansas, Missouri, and Virginia are being asked to decide gaming ballot questions during the 2024 election. The outcomes could authorize new brick-and-mortar casinos and bring online another legal sports betting state.
Early voting has been underway for weeks in many states across the nation. But the bulk of the votes will be cast on Election Day, Nov. 5. With polls opening in less than 24 hours, let’s dive in.
Will Virginia Get a Fifth Casino?
Voters in Virginia’s Petersburg about 20 miles south of the Richmond capital will decide if a $600 million casino resort near Interstate 95 and Wagner Rd. pitched by Baltimore-based Cordish Companies and Virginia real estate development firm Bruce Smith Enterprise can move forward. Cordish and Smith want to build a 200-room hotel with eight restaurants and bars, 35K square feet of convention space, a 3,000-seat concert venue, and a casino floor with around 1,600 slot machines, 50 live dealer table games, a 15-table poker room, and a sportsbook.
The Virginia General Assembly and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) agreed to allow Petersburg voters to consider a commercial casino after voters in Richmond twice rejected a proposed gaming development. Cordish, which operates casino resorts in Maryland and Pennsylvania, has pledged thousands of jobs on average pay and benefits of roughly $70K, an economic impact of $2.8 billion over the first 10 years, and $240 million in city tax revenue during the first decade should Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia be approved.
Petersburg residents have been much more supportive of a possible casino coming to town than the Richmond electorate.
Casino.org’s prediction: the Petersburg casino referendum will PASS.
Will Arkansas’ Pope County Casino Disappear?
In Arkansas, voters statewide will decide whether to repeal a commercial casino license for Pope County. The Cherokee Nation was deemed the sole qualified bidder in June by the Arkansas Racing Commission.
The Cherokees want to build a $300 million casino in Russellville called Legends Resort & Casino. However, a rival tribe in neighboring Oklahoma seeking to protect its tribal casinos has led the Issue 2 campaign, the so-called Local Voters in Charge initiative.
Issue 2 would limit casino licenses to counties where local referendums express support for a casino. When Arkansas voters in 2018 authorized casino licenses for four counties — Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, and Pope — Pope County was one of only 11 counties among the state’s 75 that voted against the gambling question.
A simple majority vote in support of Issue 2 would rescind the Cherokees’ gaming license. Because Issue 2 is being framed as voter control and taking back power from lawmakers, we think the odds are good that Pope County’s casino license will be revoked.
Casino.org’s prediction: Issue 2 will PASS.
Will Missouri Expand Gaming?
Missouri is the lone state this election considering sports betting. Record spending on Amendment 2 has been fueled by supporters DraftKings and FanDuel, while Caesars is seeking to defeat the retail and online sports betting question because it would welcome in too many operators and two mobile sportsbooks wouldn’t need to enter into revenue-sharing agreements with a physical casino.
Despite Caesars’ spending, Missourians want to gamble legally on sports and that’s why we think Amendment 2 is the surest of gaming-related referendum bets this election.
Casino.org’s prediction: Amendment 2 will PASS.
Missourians will also vote on whether to expand gambling to the Osage River for a Bally’s casino near the Lake of the Ozarks. Bally’s and its local partner, Osage River Gaming & Convention, have proposed building a 20-story hotel and casino near the Lake of the Ozarks sign at the junction of Highway 54 and Route 242 near the Bagnell Dam.
There’s been little opposition to Amendment 5.
Casino.org’s prediction: Amendment 5 will PASS.