Virginia Retail Casino Executive Warns Against Online Casinos

As lawmakers in Virginia contemplate the future of online casino gambling in the state, not everyone is in favor of making it a reality. There is at least one prominent retail casino executive who is vehemently against any such legislation. That would be Rivers Casino Portsmouth General Manager Antonio Perez.

In a recent Joint Subcommittee hearing, Perez was given the floor, where he expressed his concerns related to allowing access to online and social casinos within the state's boundaries. The committee was summoned to "Study the Feasibility of Establishing the Virginia Gaming Commission."

Right off the bat, Perez stated to lawmakers:

“There are serious threats looming in Virginia that the industry isn’t immune to." He then added, “The most immediate are skill games and iGaming — essentially a casino on your phone. They threaten the great industry you helped create here.”

Perez's Concerns

Seemingly, Perze's concerns are shared by many other members of Virginia's retail casino community. Those concerns appear to go far beyond executives losing their jobs. His concerns focus on the loss of retail casino jobs and the impact that would likely have on local communities.

Citing what he believes is a very strong, fairly regulated, and growing brick-and-mortar industry, he doesn't think it's a good idea to mess with a formula that has proven to be a real boon for the people in communities where retail casinos are licensed to operate.

Perez brought receipts. He turned his attention to the state of Pennsylvania, where the introduction of online casinos a few years back had a profound effect on the lives of residents.

Specifically, he brought up Rush Street Interactive, a company that runs both retail and online casinos throughout the U.S. When lawmakers passed iGaming legislation in 2017, the green light was given for online operators to start giving iGaming access. The impact on the retail casino industry was almost immediate. Jobs were lost, retail casino revenue dropped precipitously, and adjacent local businesses were hurt. He also pointed out that the employees who lost jobs were not allowed to secure employment in the iGaming sector.

In a pointed reply, Delegate Luke Torian offered that businesses have to be prepared to deal with competition in a capitalistic environment. Torian stated while holding up his cell phone:

“This isn’t going away. You have to figure out how the gaming industry will survive as a community. It’s already accepted in Pennsylvania — it’s here. If you have solutions, we welcome them.”

Keeping in mind that retail and online sports betting legislation was passed in October of 2020, it's still unclear where iGaming access will end up in Virginia in the future. As of now, lawmakers are focusing on whether or not there is a need for a permanent gaming commission. It's a question that is expected to be resolved by the end of the year. The answer may well shine a light on where online casino gambling is heading in the future.

Note: Several attempts to pass iGaming legislation in Virginia have been submitted, all failing to pass.