The developers behind the Norfolk casino project have announced that indoor smoking will be permitted in designated areas on the gaming floor. Additionally, the group has assured that free parking for Amtrak train passengers will be retained even after the resort’s completion.
Details about the reworked Norfolk casino continue to emerge, with the most significant recent development being the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s partnership with Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming to co-develop the resort. The federally recognized tribe was previously aligned with Tennessee billionaire Jon Yarbrough to establish a tribal casino approximately 60 air miles north of Norfolk on sovereign land. However, after Virginia legalized casinos in five cities in 2020, including Norfolk, city officials brokered a deal with the tribe to develop a commercial casino in Hampton Roads rather than a tribal enterprise.
Yarbrough, who amassed his wealth through manufacturing gaming machines for tribal venues, recently sold his 80% stake in the partnership with the Pamunkey Tribe to Boyd. This move comes as the Norfolk City Council approved an amended casino agreement last week, officially removing Yarbrough and incorporating Boyd. Boyd Gaming will now collaborate with the tribe to raise the necessary capital for the ambitious project, projected to surpass $500 million, to build a casino resort along the Elizabeth River, adjacent to Harbor Park Minor League Baseball stadium.
Amid these developments, the casino consortium has pledged to maintain free parking for Amtrak customers. The resort’s 1,300-space parking garage will allocate at least 103 spots for Amtrak riders. Furthermore, during the construction phase, Boyd and the tribe have committed to offering a shuttle service from a temporary parking lot for ticketed Amtrak passengers.
The Norfolk Amtrak station, situated just south of Interstate 264 on the eastern edge of the baseball stadium’s parking lot, will see changes as part of the casino’s development agreement. Boyd and the Pamunkey Tribe, operating under Golden Eagle Consulting II, LLC, will purchase just over eight acres of the city-owned parking lot for $10 million, a reduction from the initial plan to buy 13.5 acres. This downsizing is due to a federal and state infrastructure initiative that includes building a 17-foot-high seawall along the riverbank.
Regarding the smoking policy, Virginia’s 2009 Clean Air Act, which banned indoor smoking in most public places, does not apply to casinos due to a grandfather clause in the 2020 commercial gaming law. Consequently, smoking will be allowed in the upcoming Norfolk casino. Boyd Gaming executives have stated that modern technology will facilitate the creation of an enjoyable environment for both smokers and nonsmokers. The latest casino plans include “best-in-class ventilation systems” to mitigate secondhand smoke in nonsmoking areas. However, the CDC maintains that the only effective way to protect casino workers and visitors from secondhand smoke is to adopt a completely smoke-free policy.