Card clubs implore Richmond residents to oppose “mega casino”

A still from Stop the Mega Casino's television spot.

Under the name Stop the Mega Casino, gambling institutions including the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville launched an ad campaign over the weekend against a proposed Vegas-style casino at Point Molate in Richmond.

The group sent mailers and broadcast a TV spot to Richmond residents. The ad, which you can watch here, plays on the phrase, “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” asserting that if a casino is built at Point Molate, “the drug dealing stays in Richmond, the loan sharking stays in Richmond, the poverty stays in Richmond, the crime stays in Richmond.” What won’t stay, it claims, is the money and jobs promised by developer Upstream Point Molate. 

Richmond resident Rita Lane agrees with the group. She called KALW to say she finds the casino proposal disturbing, “because there’s so many other things that I would like to see come to the city of Richmond,” including changes that would improve schools and help Richmond get past its image as a crime-ridden city. 

“I don’t think that a casino would do anything to enhance the image of Richmond,” Lane said. She suggested the undeveloped waterfront property would be better used as an environmental center or park. 

However, such a use would not be possible without an environmental cleanup. The casino proposal includes the funds needed to remove pollution at the former Naval fuel depot, and guarantees $12 million in revenue each year to Contra Costa County. The developer has also agreed that 40% of permanent jobs generated by the project would be reserved for Richmond residents, plus another 30% for residents of Contra Costa County. 

To learn more about the casino proposal, listen to our interview with Contra Costa Times reporter John Simerman. 

Share your thoughts about the proposed development in the comments section below, or by calling our tip line at (415) 264-7106.