In Virginia, two cities saw casinos come closer to fruition.
Hard Rock Bristol casino developers recently submitted to the city their plan to demolish the former Bristol Mall.
In a statement, developers said, “This plan relates to preliminary site evaluation work at the mall that we need to complete before finalizing our design for the temporary casino. We continue to work closely with the Virginia Lottery on next steps for construction of the temporary gaming facility, and planning for the permanent one. We appreciate the ongoing cooperation and assistance from local and state officials for all necessary permitting and licensing requirements.”
The temporary casino is expected to open next summer and the permanent venue in late 2022 or early 2023. It’s forecast to attract 4 million visitors annually.
Casino officials said they’re waiting for the Virginia Lottery board to approve their gaming license applicant. City Manager Randy Eads said, “We know it will take time for the lottery board to do their investigation and make sure they have everything they need to get the proper licensing. What I do believe is the casino and Hard Rock will follow each and every one of those regulations to make sure the people have the best experience possible here in Bristol.”
Eads added, “We do have to be thinking in the future, police fire, how many people will we need for that? How many other types of services will we need to provide that we are not providing right now?”
In Portsmouth, Rush Street Gaming’s $300 million Rivers Casino is farther along and recently held a groundbreaking. It’s expected to open in 2023. State Senator L. Louise Lucas who has advocated for a casino for more than 20 years, said, “I woke up this morning and thought ‘Wow, this is finally happening!’ Folks were saying to me, ‘There’s no way in hell you’re ever going to build a casino in Portsmouth,’ but look at us now.”
The project will feature a 50,000-square-foot casino with 1,890 gaming positions, a sportsbook, restaurants, live entertainment lounge and more than 62,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor event space, plus a 250-room hotel. It will create 1,400 construction jobs and more than 1,300 new permanent jobs, and generate an estimated $16 million in new annual tax revenue for Portsmouth.
One notable glitch, according to the Virginia Lottery, is Rivers Casino Portsmouth still has not been officially approved as a casino vendor. But a spokesperson said, “Rivers Casino Portsmouth was pre-certified by the Virginia Lottery in July 2020 to operate a casino in Virginia. We respect the licensing process and are working diligently with the Virginia Lottery Board, as they thoughtfully create a regulatory environment that will best serve the Commonwealth.”
Meanwhile, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s Headwaters Resort and Casino still is on track to break ground in downtown Norfolk casino early next year and open in 2023.
