When Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough partnered with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in 2018, they envisioned what would have been Virginia’s first and only casino. The Pamunkey, which received federal recognition in 2015, were to be the majority owners of the tribal casino.
Then, the state approved commercial casinos in 2020, altering Virginia’s gaming landscape.
Commercial casinos had fewer hoops to jump through than tribal casinos and got up and running faster — including the Norfolk casino’s closest competitor, Rivers Casino in Portsmouth. Norfolk’s casino experienced years of delays. Its developers scaled back the original vision, shrinking tax revenue estimates with it.
