THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 15, 1994 TAG: 9410150217
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEC KLEIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Hampton Roads lost the derby to host Virginia's first horse track, but the consolation prize could be more lucrative:
Riverboat gambling.
Two days after New Kent County beat Virginia Beach and Portsmouth for the right to bet on the ponies, area lawmakers began to assess the prospects for another game of chance that could mean 24,000 jobs and $123 million annually in state and local revenue.
``The economic impact of riverboats will be over 10 times what the race track will do at its peak,'' crowed Del. Jerrauld C. Jones, D-Norfolk. ``This makes a race track look puny.''
Jones and other supporters tout riverboats as a perfect fit for a maritime community hard-hit by defense cutbacks and shipyard layoffs. Had Hampton Roads landed the race track, horsemen would have made good on their threats to keep riverboats out of the area.
Unhampered, Jones intends to introduce legislation in January - for the third time in three years - that would allow 14 floating casinos to ply waterways in seven eastern Virginia locales.
``It's coming to Virginia,'' he said, ``it's only a question of when.''
And where. Potential dock sites include Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Hopewell, Richmond, Petersburg and Fredericksburg.
Neighboring locales would be expected to claw over the riverboats, just as Portsmouth and Virginia Beach did in pursuit of the race track. If history is any guide, a repeat performance could hurt the region.
``The inability of Hampton Roads to throw its collective weight behind one site ultimately lost the track for our region,'' said Laurie Gellman, co-chair of Friends of Racing Hampton Roads. ``Divided we fell. Pitiful, isn't it?''
But Jones is convinced there will be enough boats to go around. And he's even more confident that he will win over his colleagues in the capital.
``We're going to introduce a bill and pass a bill,'' he declared.
Riverboat legislation died in committee last year, then made its way onto the House of Delegates floor early this year only to fall short by a narrow margin. Others are less certain than Jones about its prospects in January.
``Let me get my crystal ball,'' quipped House Speaker Thomas W. Moss Jr., D-Norfolk. ``It was real close last time . . . but I don't know what the odds are now.''
According to opponents, they're not good.
``I don't think there's going to be any rush to embrace riverboats until we see how the track in New Kent proceeds,'' said Del. George W. Grayson, D-Williamsburg. ``We move slowly in Virginia.''
But even if riverboats successfully navigate the General Assembly, the measure faces other obstacles. Sponsors want to skip a statewide vote, requiring instead local referendums where the riverboats would operate.
That would likely occur no sooner than November 1995. And lawmakers are already concerned that Virginia is not moving fast enough.
``What worries me,'' Moss said, ``is we will be surrounded by states that have (riverboats), and we won't have a seat at the table.''
Riverboat gambling has already been approved in Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri and Indiana. Several other states are poised to consider similar legislation, including North Carolina, Maryland and West Virginia.
Several suitors, however, have beckoned to Virginia, including Imperial Palace and Lady Luck Casino and Hotel, both of Las Vegas. Seven potential investors, including Aerie Hotels & Resorts of Illinois and partner Wildwood Gaming Corp. of Virginia, are bidding for a Newport News site.
Dallas-based Hollywood Casino Corp. has a three-year option to buy a site in Hampton next to Interstate 64 at the end of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. And Bay Entertainment Corp. of Williamsburg has also surfaced as a potential investor.
``You've got to keep an eye on what's been driving this issue the whole time,'' said Chuck Duvall, a lobbyist for two other riverboat prospects - the Spirit of Norfolk cruise line and the Annabel Lee excursion boat in Richmond. ``It's jobs for the shipyards and a big chunk of tax revenue.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Del. Jerrauld C. Jones
Photo
Del. George C. Grayson
KEYWORDS: GAMBLING CASINO RIVERBOAT by CNB