The Virginia Lottery Board recently issued its first casino license to Hard Rock Bristol, which will open a temporary, 30,000-square-foot facility July 8 at the former Bristol Mall with 870 slots, 21 table games and a sportsbook. The mall has been unoccupied since 2017.
Hard Rock International Chief Operating Officer Jon Lucas said, “We are excited by the Virginia Lottery Board’s action today granting a license to open Virginia’s first casino in Bristol subject to the completion of outstanding operational activities. We appreciate the Virginia Lottery’s assistance and diligence in working closely with our team over many months to reach today’s important milestone for Bristol, Southwest Virginia and the commonwealth.”
The $300 million, 90,000-squre foot permanent facility, expected to be completed in 2025, will transform the Bristol mall into a casino resort with 2,700 slots, 100 table games, sportsbook, seven restaurants and four bars, 3,200-person capacity concert venue and a 20,000-person capacity outdoor entertainment venue. The 750-room hotel tower will offer a spa, retail area, Hard Rock Café and 50,000 square feet of convention space.
Three other Virginia casinos are in process in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Danville. Richmond voters initially rejected a casino referendum in November 2021 but a possible do-over is in the works. The four cities met the requirements of the enabling legislation, including an unemployment rate of at least 5 percent in 2018, a poverty rate of at least 20 percent in 2017 and a population decrease of at least 20 percent from 1990 to 2016.
