West Virginia Senate Approves Casino Bill for Revitalization of Shopping Malls through Satellite Casinos
West Virginia Senator Eric Nelson (R-Kanawha) isn't letting past legislative failures hinder his ambitions in 2023. His focus remains on expanding gaming, specifically by introducing "satellite casinos". Similar to his efforts in 2019 and the previous year, Nelson finds support in Charleston for this gaming bill.
Nelson proposes allowing the state's racetrack casinos – Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, and Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack – to establish smaller casinos at secondary locations within their host counties. Subject to a countywide local referendum, voters would have the final say on whether to proceed with a satellite casino plan.
Given the decline of retail shopping centers over the past few decades, and further exacerbated by COVID-19, Nelson aims to breathe new life into these vacant buildings through satellite casinos.
Addressing his Senate colleagues ahead of the vote, Nelson stated, "It's very much like a bill that was introduced in the House in 2019 and introduced here last year."
Revitalizing Communities
Satellite casinos, also known as "mini-casinos", have been employed in other states to revitalize abandoned buildings, such as in Pennsylvania.
Nelson introduced Senate Bill 62 in January, following its successful passage through the Senate Government Organization Committee. The bill then moved to the Senate floor, which passed it with a 25-8 vote.
With a career spanning from the House of Delegates to the Senate, Nelson has been a key figure in West Virginia politics, serving from January 2013 until taking up his current Senate position in December 2020.
Riding the Wave of Support
Over the past year, Nelson's satellite casino bill in the West Virginia Legislature's 2022 session was SB100. Remarkably, on the same date a year ago, the state Senate passed Nelson's mini-casino statute.
While the bill received less support last year, with just 23 state Senators backing the idea of more casinos, the GOP's seat gain during last November's election boosted support. Currently, the GOP holds 31 out of the Senate's 34 seats, with eight of these elected officials inaugurated in January. Seven of the new Senate members voted in favor of SB62, with Sen. Vince Deeds (R-Fayette) as the lone opponent.
Deeds' district encompassing Greenbrier County doesn't qualify for a satellite gaming location despite hosting West Virginia's fifth and only other commercial casino, the Casino Club at The Greenbrier, given the lack of a racetrack association.
Journey to the Lower Chamber
Nelson's casino expansion statute now transitions to the General Assembly for further evaluation. As of yet, SB62 has yet to be assigned to a committee in the lower chamber.
Last year, Nelson's mini-casino bill encountered a stalemate after being assigned to the Assembly's Judiciary Committee, which ultimately failed to act on the measure. The bill was subsequently moved to the Assembly Finance Committee, which likewise neglected to vote on the statute. The West Virginia Legislature adjourned on March 12 without taking action on SB100.
The Judiciary Committee continues to be chaired by Del. Moore Capito (R-Kanawha), while the Finance Committee now has Del. Vernon Criss (R-Wood) as its leader, replacing Assembly Majority Leader Eric Householder (R-Berkley). The West Virginia Legislature's 2023 session runs through March 11.
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