So far, the General Assembly has sided with a Richmond plan to hold a second referendum in a bid to win approval for a gambling casino and resort in South side.

Committees in both the House of Delegates and state Senate have killed bills that would have blocked the city from holding a second vote until after Petersburg had an opportunity to craft a casino proposal for its voters to consider.

The death of the two bills appears to have put Richmond on track to conduct a second vote that would seek to gain approval for a development proposal that was defeated last November by 1,500 votes.

But on Monday, the city’s lobbyist, Ron Jordan, told City Council there is still a ways to go before a second referendum is assured.

City Council already has voted to seek court approval to put the issue on the November 2022 ballot for a revote on the proposal to allow a private company to develop a $565 million casino and resort on 100 acres in South Side

Mr. Jordan likened the situation to a football game.

“Only half of the game has been played. We’re a couple of touchdowns ahead,” but he said there is still time for advocates seeking to pass the casino opportunity to Petersburg to win.

He noted that Petersburg’s advocates are expected to seek to add language in the state budget bill to give Petersburg voters an opportunity to approve or reject a casino before Richmond gets another chance to consider the issue.

Mr. Jordan said the decision might not be made until the waning days of the General Assembly session in mid-March, when the House and Senate are expected to vote on a final version of the budget.