Rejected casino bidder planning to file injunction against City of Richmond
$5,000 Welcome Bonus
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The City of Richmond started off with six casino proposals and has narrowed their pickings down to two. One of the bidder partners for a project that didn’t make the cut is planning to file an injunction against the city over issues with the procurement process.
Bet on Gaming Holdings, LLC was one of the partners involved with the Golden Nugget casino proposal. Dennis Cotto, a principal of the company tells 8News they are planning to file an injunction after the city did not provide the company with a debriefing following the rejection of the Golden Nugget proposal.
Cotto says without a debriefing the city is not following procurement rules or the State Procurement Act.
Before filing the injunction, Cotto says he attempted to request a debriefing but his request was denied.
“There are no exemptions supporting their actions and you can confirm this by asking them. This illegality leads to fraud, lack of transparency and possible corruption,” Cotto said. “Moreover, it does not provide bidders with a process to determine if the procurement is being managed properly or an opportunity to be debriefed in the case they are disqualified.”
A spokesperson from the City of Richmond says they are unable to make a comment on pending or ongoing litigation.
