Time For Virginia To Bet On Casino Gambling

This General Assembly session there is an important issue that is very near to my heart.

I have to admit I am a flawed human being, a sinner, saved by grace, and a good Christian (except when I get to talking about Cynthia Dunbar and her supporters; they make me angry). However, I am a flawed human being. Which means, I have a confession to make.

I love gambling.

There, I said it. I love gambling. It’s fun, it takes your mind off your troubles, there are usually good adult beverages involved, and I enjoy wasting a little money every once in a while on a gambling trip.

However, the closest casino to my house is the Greenbrier but I cannot afford to stay at the Greenbrier.

That is why this General Assembly Session is so important. Senator Bill Carrico and Senator Louise Lucas have bills in the General Assembly to authorize the Virginia Lottery Commission to allow the regulation of casino gambling in the Commonwealth.

We need our legislators to act quickly on this legislation. Both bills before the General Assembly present the chance to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to the Commonwealth. The proposed casinos are to be built in the Bristol, Danville, and Portsmouth areas.

This reporting comes from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

“Northam and some state lawmakers have said they’d prefer to take time to study all of the options for a state that, in the past, has limited gambling to horse racing and the Virginia Lottery. Last year, the General Assembly voted to legalize slots-like gambling machines to support the horse racing industry.

Lawmakers are also considering bills to legalize sports betting, and the Pamunkey Indian tribe is in the early stages of planning a waterfront casino in Norfolk.

At Monday’s news conference in a packed room at the Pocahontas Building, casino backers said the state should take advantage of the extra tax revenue and jobs from casinos, or risk being leapfrogged by neighboring states.

Casino supporters estimate that if the bill passes, the three casinos could eventually create 15,600 jobs, generate $99.2 million in local tax dollars and produce $122.3 million in state tax revenues. The estimates were based on the casinos’ seventh year of operations.  [emphasis added]

Those are jobs in some of the hardest hit areas of the Commonwealth. Virginia can use that money to rebuild schools, add more lanes to Interstate 81, or more importantly, pay for the boondoggle that is Medicaid Expansion. We need new revenue streams in the Commonwealth and casino gambling is just the ticket.

Morality is an issue that can drag us down as Republicans. There are many in our party who will not like this idea. However, I have this to say to the detractors.

First, if Senator Carrico can vote for the casinos, my conservative friends can vote for it too.

Second, think of the jobs this will create. Think about the kids in Southwest Virginia whose parents will be able to afford to send them to college because they have a job at the casinos.

Think about all that revenue coming into our local communities from lodging and meals taxes. Southwest Virginia residents can afford to put food on the table, send their kids to a good school, and more importantly, pay their bills.

It’s time to bet on casino gambling in Virginia.