RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Plans for a casino in Richmond are officially on hold after the city’s contract with Urban ONE was terminated.

In March of 2022, a Richmond judge granted the city’s request to hold a second public vote on the casino after it was rejected by only around 1200 votes in November of 2021. In August of this year, Urban ONE’s CEO told community members that the company no longer supported holding a second casino referendum.

The agreement signed by the city and Urban ONE in 2021 was slated to be terminated in the event that the original referendum was rejected.

According to a report from Casino.org, Virginia legislators blocked a vote on the casino until November 2023 through a provision in the 2022-2024 budget bill. According to the report, the provision was championed by state senator Joe Morrissey in an effort to convince the General Assembly to consider Petersburg instead.

Voter referendums were held in five Virginia cities that the General Assembly decided could benefit economically from a casino opening. Richmond was the only city that rejected the proposal.