NORFOLK, Va. — Monday, on Virginia's first Indigenous People's Day, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe announced that gaming revenue from the planned Norfolk Resort and Casino would go to benefit a trust fund for Virginia tribes.
A release from YES Norfolk, a committee that has been pushing to make the casino a reality, said the venue would raise between $3.5 million and $4 million every year to support "education, housing, health care and business development" to six other federally recognized tribes.
Those include the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe Eastern Division, the Rappahannock Tribe, the Monacan Indian Nation and the Nansemond Indian Tribe.
That's due, in part, to a law passed this year in the Virginia legislature that diverts 1% of tribal casino proceeds to benefitting other indigenous groups.
Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray said he pushed for that law, and lifting up other tribes would be a privilege.
“As the only tribe eligible to operate a casino in the state, we are thrilled with the opportunities our proposed resort and casino can provide other native Virginians,” Gray wrote. “After suffering injustices for hundreds of years, casino gaming in Norfolk will help continue the process of reconciliation for some of the Commonwealth’s first disenfranchised groups.”
