Many Obstacles to Overcome<\/strong><\/h2>\nMany hurdles stand in Jerrels’ path before he can bring his proposal to ballot.<\/p>\n
First, the D.C. Board of Elections must approve the initiative during a hearing scheduled for May 4. Should the board do so, Jerrels would then still need to collect 25,000 signatures to place the initiative on the ballot.<\/p>\n
Another problem standing in his way lies with the background of his reported financial backer, US Virgin Islands-based gambling businessman Shawn Scott.<\/p>\n
According to legal filings made by Jerrels, Anacostia Redevelopment, an LLC registered in Delaware, is bankrolling the gaming push. Jerrels and Scott were also in paired up in 2006 to legalize video slot machines at the same Anacostia location, but that measure failed.<\/p>\n
Scott has a checkered past when it comes to the gaming industry, though. He’s been denied licenses in numerous states, and was slapped with a $600,000 fine for forging signatures in 2004.<\/strong><\/p>\nThough Jerrels\u2019 and Scott’s previous attempts failed, one asset for their campaign this time around might be the MGM National Harbor, which is scheduled to open in the second half of 2016. Seven miles due south of Anacostia, it could be a compelling selling point that as long as gaming is coming to the area anyway, it might make sense to keep those revenues within city limits.<\/p>\n
But the cost of bringing gambling to the city doesn’t, at the moment, have widespread support. Gambling the old-fashioned way has been illegal in the nation’s capital for decades, and it doesn’t appear that will be changing anytime soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington, D.C., is a powerhouse of intrigue, bluffs, and gambles, but that reality could one day extend to an actual land-based casino in the District, if a group funded by an anonymous corporation in Delaware get its way. A group known as the Citizens Committee in Support of the Limited Gaming Initiative of 2016 is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":34793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Washington, D.C. Always a Political Gamble, But Could an Actual Casino Come to Nation\u2019s Capital?<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n