The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, owners of Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casinos in North Carolina, have announced a plan to develop a casino on 350 acres at the Pinnacle commercial center in Washington County, Virginia. The proposed casino would directly compete with the proposed Hard Rock Bristol Resort and Casino, planned for one mile away at the former Bristol Mall.
Bristol City Manager Randy Eads stated, “This announcement could hurt all of Southwest Virginia, and that is something I do not want to happen. Southwest Virginia must work together and not against one another in order for true economic development to occur in our region.”
Eastern Band Chief Richard Sneed countered, “The location of the casino will be within the beloved ancestral home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. That is why this project has a special place in my heart and in the heart of our people.”
He added, “I have visited the site along I-81 and I am impressed with its strategic gateway location that serves a five-state area. It is our wish to bring new tax revenue and jobs to Washington County and the Southwest Virginia region in a positive and impactful way.” Sneed said the proposed venue would include a 15,000-seat outdoor concert venue and a hotel with an indoor waterpark.
The Virginia legislature in 2019 passed Senate Bill 1126 naming Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond as the only approved casino sites. However, SB1126 must be reenacted during the 2020 General Assembly session, and no casino license may be issued before July 1, 2020.
The Eastern Band’s county site is not within the designated locations. Also, any casino would have to be approved in a local voter referendum.
Currently, only Danville does not have a proposed casino partner. Portsmouth is partnered with Rush Street Gaming of Chicago to develop a 400,000-square-foot casino and entertainment facility. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe signed an agreement with the city of Norfolk to develop a $700 million casino on a 13.4-acre downtown site. The tribe has also expressed interest in a Richmond-area casino.
In Bristol, businessmen Jim McGlothlin and Clyde Stacy proposed a $250 million Hard Rock casino at the vacant mall, to be developed with at least $250 million of their own money. They supported the 2019 legislative effort that ultimately included last year’s gaming study by the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
That study indicated resort-style casinos in the five selected locations could produce about $260 million annually in new state gaming taxes and create at least 5,000 jobs. JLARC also recommended that lawmakers consider awarding casino licenses through a competitive bidding process.
McGlothlin stated, “I don’t know how that would work. We have a standing facility that we made a purchase of, and it seems we would be the choice for the city. I would propose that we don’t need to make this two or three years of having RFPs and everybody in the world come here. We need the city to make that choice and let the referendum be voted on. Then the state would have to issue the license, and, at that point, if they don’t like the proposed operator, the state could turn it down. We can’t wait years and years to do this.”
McGlothlin added, “I’m not totally satisfied with some of its numbers, but after that study, I feel like we’re in a better place to have positive legislation. They really are favorable about what it can do for Bristol, even though it could do a lot more. I think it will be more positive since we have the JLARC study completed.”
State Rep. Terry Kilgore, main sponsor of this year’s House Bill 374, said, “The problem with competitive bidding is you don’t know what you’re going to get. We all felt pretty comfortable with the Bristol proposal, the investment and things of that nature. But this throws a wrench in the process.
“I’m still committed to the city of Bristol’s project because they’re the ones who came in first, participated in all the JLARC studies and did all they were asked to do,” he said. “It’s a little bit late in the game for new projects.”
