The Virginia Lottery Board has unanimously approved plans for Golden Eagle Corporation to open a new land-based casino in the state.
Golden Eagle is seeking to launch a casino in downtown Norfolk on the east coast of Virginia. It required a license to proceed with the project, which it has now secured.
Approval followed a review of application materials and extensive background investigation. The lottery both licenses and regulates casinos and sports betting in the state.
In signing off on the application, the Virginia Lottery made Golden Eagle the fourth approved casino facility operator in Virginia. It joins Caesars Virginia in Danville, HR Bristol and Rivers Casino Portsmouth.
Positive September for sports betting in Virginia
Alongside this approval, the lottery published data for the state’s sports betting market in September. This revealed an 18.4% increase in handle to $737.2 million, the lottery reported.
Of the total handle in the month, $731.5 million was bet online and $5.6 million at retail sportsbooks.
Players received back $667.4 million from sports betting, while the lottery accounted for $5.3 million in undisclosed other dedications. This resulted in $64.5 million in adjusted gross revenue, marginally lower than $65.9 million in September of the previous year.
