Urban One Rejected in Richmond Casino Resort Proposal

There has been a setback for the publicly traded integrated media company Urban One in their quest to develop a casino resort in Richmond as their application becomes one of five areas within the state to reject such a proposal.

Urban One had joined forces with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment to develop the One Casino + Resort, but reports suggest that the referendum ended with over 51% of voters choosing to reject the plan.

The mayor of Richmond, Levar Stoney, spoke of his disappointment even though he has stated from the beginning of discussions that he would let the people decide as to whether the new casino resort would get the go-ahead or not.

Urban One had previously defeated a number of big-name operators to become the chosen provider, with the likes of Bally’s Corporation, whose application was rejected back in April 2021.

While extremely disappointed, our entire Urban One family, my mother, and business partner Cathy Hughes, and I accept the will of city of Richmond residents. For the last two years, we have worked so hard to build a large and inclusive tent with our One Casino + Resort project. We had a lot of loyal supporters and worked tirelessly on behalf of the project and for whom we will be eternally grateful.

We ran a robust campaign and strongly believe this is a huge missed opportunity for Richmond residents to have a tourist attraction that would have provided the financial resources to improve schools and roads, as well as enrich the lives of its citizens. Urban One has been a part of the fabric of Richmond for the last twenty-two years, and we will continue our tradition of serving the community.

Alfred LigginsCEO at Urban One