BRISTOL, Va. (Bristol Herald Courier) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday he is “open” to legalized casino gaming but stopped short of saying he would sign whatever bill the General Assembly might advance.

The morning after his State of the Commonwealth Address to the state legislature, Northam addressed a number of issues, including the possibility of expanding gambling options, during a conference call with the Bristol Herald Courier.

Chief among multiple gaming bills filed with the Senate and House is legislation to permit one casino to operate in each of five cities: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond. The legislation, carried by Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Abingdon, and Sen. Ben Chafin, R-Lebanon, in the Senate and Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, in the House of Delegates, would also expand and empower the Virginia Lottery Board to oversee casinos and establish the framework to govern casino operations.

This same legislation was approved last year and signed by the governor, but it authorized a study of the potential impacts of gaming in Virginia and a review of how other states supervise casinos and now must be reapproved by the General Assembly in 2020.

The governor called it “a little bit early” to commit to signing whatever gaming bill comes out of the General Assembly.