In its first week of operation, through July 14, the Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock, generated $3.74 million in adjusted gross gaming revenue (GGR).
The casino produced another $8 million in the final 17 days of the month for a total of $11.71 million in adjusted GGR, according to Virginia Lottery figures. The casino’s 870 slot machines produced $10.23 million and the 21 table games produced $1.48 million. The state of Virginia received $2.1 million in tax revenue, including more than $703,000 that will be shared by local governments.
Since opening, the temporary casino has welcomed guests from 49 states, all except Alaska. Hard Rock Bristol President Allie Evangelista said, “We couldn’t have asked for more. We knew it would be a positive opening. We knew that the community was excited about it and the team members were excited about opening the property, but I don’t think I could have anticipated the excitement that came with the feedback we received. The first six weeks have been a dream come true and since it’s only a temporary property I can only anticipate a buildup from here on until we open the permanent casino in 2024.”
Shortly before the Bristol Casino opened, Hard Rock announced a new customer loyalty program, Unity by Hard Rock. Evangelista said so far, 33,000 people have signed up for it in Bristol. She said the casino’s July 22 report indicated:
- 4,500 loyalty program patrons drove 100 or more miles to Bristol.
- 65 percent of loyalty guests live within 60 miles of Bristol.
- 21 percent, or 6,000 loyalty guests live in Sullivan County.
- About 1,300 loyalty members come from the Knoxville, Tennessee area.
Evangelista said the main complaint she’s heard from visitors’ concerns smoking on the gaming floor. She said, “That was the biggest pushback. First, we are a smoking facility, and we have that all over the country. There are casinos that are fully non-smoking and fully smoking. Here the gaming floor is smoking with a non-smoking gaming area. Then everything outside the casino floor is non-smoking.”
Evangelista explained Hard Rock had to rent HVAC units when the venue first opened. Those units “were not the capacity we have now. We finalized the exchange from the rental to the units we own that use 100 percent outdoor air on August 8. There is a different flow on the gaming floor now. We have what we call ‘smoke eaters.’ That is a filtration system that gets placed in casinos for that reason. It’s a much cleaner air,” she said.
Evangelista noted the air in the gaming area is “a lot better” and typically smoke is “much lighter and less noticeable” during weekdays and lower traffic times, compared to the busiest periods Friday and Saturday nights.
The casino also has a non-smoking gaming area and, in response to concerns, has added a new entrance. “There is a cage there so you can make transactions in there without having to go to the main floor. That should help, especially if guests have a more allergic reaction, that’s a better experience for sure,” Evangelista said.
Also, she said access to the casino’s 21 table games has been an issue; some were fully occupied or weren’t open. She noted as a temporary facility in a new market, the demand for table games versus slots was not known. “When guests come in and are excited to play on a blackjack table on a Saturday night and we’re full, I can understand the frustration. Typically, 90 percent of revenue comes from slots. That is the standard. Typically slot machines are the bread and butter of the business but also something easier to manage, from the overhead, labor and training, it’s much easier to turn on a slot machine than to train a table games dealer that takes years to become proficient on the job. There is a little bit of that,” Evangelista said.
She added, “We are looking to add a few games to the floor, hopefully before the holidays. But you can’t just press a button and say, ‘Amazon, ship me a blackjack table.’ There are vendors that are authorized by the Virginia Lottery but it’s 12 weeks out before we can get new furniture in. We have to get approval from the Virginia Lottery, so it’s several months to make a change in the layout.”
The casino is expecting 63 new slots as well within one to three months. Evangelista said, “That is a brand-new product not available in the state yet. Once it gets approved that will be added to our gaming floor, so I’m excited about that.”
The venue has about 600 employees, Evangelista said. “We are properly staffed. We have some positions we’re still trying to fill. We have several dozen team members still awaiting lottery licensing.”
The facility has two restaurants, Mr. Lucky’s and Brick’d plus the Bristol Bar. “The feedback has been amazing, but we haven’t promoted our restaurants. We wanted our team to get really good at what they are doing, build the consistency and make sure our ticket times were not too long. We’re getting to the point where things are more consistent and more timely. Feedback from our guests is great,” Evangelista said.
She noted the outside of the former Bristol Mall looks the same as it always has. However, inside, demolition and asbestos have been completed and construction of the permanent venue will start soon. “We’re finalizing some of the plans but everything is on track and we’re still aiming for May 2024,” Evangelista said.
