In Virginia, casinos in Danville and Richmond, allowed under legislation that passed last year, are moving forward.
Dozens of Danville citizens recently showed up for a presentation by Caesars Entertainment about the $500 million Caesars Casino coming to their community in the former Dan River site in the Schoolfield area. Senior Vice President of Development for Caesars Entertainment Robert Livingston said, “This meeting was about making sure that we’re listening to the public and learning about what that site means and making sure that the design ends up with their feedback.”
The 85-acre casino resort will include a 500-room hotel, which will be built first, and a gaming floor with 2,000 slot machines, 75 table games, 16 poker tables and a sportsbook, 35,00-square-foot conference center, 2,500-seat entertainment venue, pool, spa, restaurants, brew pub, sports bar and other attractions.
Livingston said Caesars plans to work with the Danville historical society to include the story of the mill at the property. The iconic smokestacks, known as the “three sisters,” will anchor the entertainment center at the casino resort, Livingston said, noting Caesars will add even more towers. “By listening to the community members, I think we can take that a step further and still have the iconic imagery of Caesars Entertainment, the Caesars brand, that blends nicely with the history of Danville and Schoolfield,” Livingston said.
According to Livingston, the venue will create 1,300 new jobs, plus 900 construction jobs. “It’s going to reinvigorate this part of Danville, this community and this part of the region,” he said. It’s expected to be completed in late 2023.
In Richmond, advertising campaigns for and against the proposed Urban ONE casino are heating up ahead of the November 3 referendum, when voters will determine the fate of the $600 million project. It would be developed at the site of the former Philip Morris Operations Center in the Southside area.
Urban ONE has put up several billboards with messages like “Invest in Southside” around the area; Urban ONE Executive vice President Karen Wishart said more than 75 billboards will go up in September. The company also is running broadcast commercials and has mailed out flyers to Richmond residents. Wishart said, “I just say, ‘Stay tuned,’ because we are going to do everything that we can do to spread our good message.”
Opposition groups also have mobilized, putting up yard signs and also mailing out flyers. Quinton Robbins, spokesman for the advocacy group Richmond For All, said volunteers also have begun knocking on doors and talking to residents about voting against the casino. “We think it’s really important that we get a baseline for how people feel in the Southside. We’re expecting to expand throughout the city and get more volunteers and paid canvassers,” he said. The group has received $2,000 in donations so far, Robbins stated.
Also in November, voters in Amherst County will decide if they want a $40 million Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in a shopping center in Madison Heights. The project is estimated to generate $2 million in annual tax revenue and create 100 jobs. Organizers collected more than 2,000 signatures to place the referendum on the ballot.
The opposition, however, has formed a Facebook group, Amherst Citizens Against Rosie’s and started a GoFundMe campaign that’s raised more than $4,000 to place ads urging voters to reject Rosie’s.
If the issue passes, developer said Rosie’s could be operating within two years.
