In Virginia, officials at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Bristol said the permanent facility at the former Bristol Mall will open this summer as planned.
Casino President Allie Evangelista said, “The building is all the way up now, so we have our hotel tower up. Rooms are being completed. We’ll have 300 rooms by the end of the year, but we’re on target to open the casino floor by July of this year.” She said she expects the hotel to open in the second half of the year.
Evangelista added the venue will offer a Hard Rock Café as well as the Council Oak Steakhouse and an Asian restaurant, plus the Hard Rock Live entertainment center.
On the casino floor, Evangelista said, “We’re growing our slot floor to 1,500 slot machines and 75 table games.” She noted due to construction costs and upgrades, the project’s price has increased from $400 million to $550 million.
The number of employees also has grown. Vice President of Human Resources Marina Alvidrez said the casino employs around 600 people now, but he added, “By the end of the year, we will have 1,300 team members, so I’m looking for 700 excited people to join the band.” Alvidrez said several community re-engagement events are scheduled to attract more workers. “We want to make sure that we are providing a life and a community changing life for people that decide to start their careers here and grow their careers here,” Alvidrez said.
Since opening in December 2022, the Bristol casino has paid out more than $172 million, generating more than $42 million in state gaming taxes including $28 million in 2023, according to the Virginia Lottery Board.
The Regional Improvement Commission, made up of 14 Southwest Virginia communities, receives a share of that gaming tax revenue. In 2023, each locality received $625,000. That allowed Scott County to upgrade the sheriff’s office firing range, Bristol to purchase new police vehicles and Washington County to support pay raises for teachers.
Evangelista said the casino is becoming a huge tourism destination, as expected. She said, “We have over 120,000 guests that have enrolled in our loyalty program locally here in Bristol. That means we have had guests from all 50 states of the United States.” She noted most of the casino’s visitors come from within a 3-hour drive, with secondary markets in Ohio, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas.
