Finance committee forwards EDA request to explore convention-entertainment center with casino to full council

The Winchester City finance committee voted to forward Resolution 2025-51 to the full city council, advancing a formal request that the Economic Development Authority (EDA) work with the state gaming commission and legislature to pursue review of a convention-entertainment center that would carry a casino license.

Jeff Binder, director of the Winchester EDA, presented the findings of more than two years of study and outreach. Binder said the EDA convened a diverse stakeholder study group, visited other localities with casinos, and consulted local law enforcement, educators and private developers. "The boogeyman I keep seeing on Facebook does not exist," Binder said, addressing public concerns about crime and addiction; he urged the committee to evaluate empirical evidence from existing Virginia casinos and noted that unregulated skill games have produced addiction spikes where there is little oversight.

Binder described a "right-sized" concept for Winchester: about 50,000 square feet of live gaming space, a roughly 20,000-square-foot convention center, a 2,200-seat concert venue, 6–7 restaurants and a 170-room hotel. He said the EDA's consultant projects roughly $27.5 million a year to the city (including an estimated $19 million from the gaming tax) and substantial job creation — Binder cited 660 construction job-years and about 3,100 total regional operations jobs, with roughly 1,200 direct casino positions and an average direct casino salary projected at about $60,000 plus benefits.

Binder emphasized timing: the state is standing up a centralized gaming commission to review gaming proposals, and he said getting Winchester into the early queue could speed consideration; he estimated the earliest feasible public referendum would likely be in 2028, depending on the commission's schedule and legislative steps. He also said a license would be contingent on selecting a suitable operator and that a local referendum would be required before any development could proceed.

Committee members asked about community impacts and how the city would allocate revenues. Binder said the EDA is considering a referendum model that pre-allocates portions of gaming tax revenue into public "buckets" (infrastructure, education, public safety, etc.) so voters understand how proceeds would be spent. Several committee members said they support forwarding the resolution so the council and EDA can continue community education and work through legislative steps; one member said the referendum process (and public education leading up to it) is critical and noted the substantial cost and work required to hold an informed referendum.

A motion to forward Resolution 2025-51 to the full council passed; the committee vote is recorded as passing in the transcript but without a numeric roll-call tally.

What happens next: If council agrees, the EDA would continue work with state legislators and await gaming commission procedures; any license would require a subsequent local referendum before construction or operations could proceed.

Why it matters: If pursued and approved by voters, the EDA says the project could generate significant local tax revenues, create construction and operations jobs, and provide a new convention and entertainment venue for the region; opponents and those concerned about social impacts will likely press for detailed impact studies and binding allocations of revenue before any referendum.