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Pamunkey Tribe in talks with Norfolk to build world-class casino, spa

Norfolk could become home to Virginia's first-ever world-class resort casino.

The city of Norfolk is in talks with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe to buy land in order to construct the state's first-ever resort casino.

Pamunkey Chief Robert Gray announced his intentions to build a world-class resort casino and spa in the city to Mayor Kenny Alexander.

The Pamunkey are eyeing 20 acres along the Elizabeth River that sits between Harbor Park and an Amtrak station.

Credit: Capital Results
Artist rendering of a proposed casino resort in Norfolk. This conceptual rendering may not reflect the final design.

The Pamunkey announced plans earlier this year to build a $700 million resort and casino somewhere in its ancestral region.

The Department of Interior granted federal recognition to the Pamunkey in 2015, allowing the possibility of casinos through a separate approval process. Virginia currently has no casinos.

Mayor Alexander said the tribe's decision validates Norfolk as an emerging destination for tourism in the mid-Atlantic and the center for entertainment in Hampton Roads.

Mayor Kenny Alexander Statement About Potential Casino Construction

The tribe was considered the most powerful in the Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom, which greeted the English settlers at Jamestown and claims Pocahontas among its lineage.

Pamunkey Chief Statement About Potential Casino in Norfolk

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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