Developers of the Hard Rock Bristol Hotel & Casino in Bristol, Virginia said they expect to open a temporary gaming facility prior to April 2022. Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kevin Hall told the Virginia House Appropriations Committee that would be the earliest the lottery board would issue any gaming licenses and the soonest a temporary facility could operate. However, Hall said sports betting could start in early 2021.
Regarding the Bristol casino, Hall said, “We think it is highly unlikely that even an operator seeking a temporary permit would actually be operating casino gaming until April 2022 at the earliest.” Hall’s timeline is based on the legislation that authorized four casinos and sports betting to operate in the state under the oversight of the Lottery Board.
However, the investor group redeveloping the Bristol Mall said they expect much of the Hard Rock project to be open by late 2021. They added they want to offer a temporary casino away from the main casino in the former Sears store.
In a statement, the Bristol group said, “We are monitoring the Lottery’s permitting process for gaming, including recent public comments on a possible timeframe. We will be prepared to open a temporary gaming facility much sooner than April 2022 to help bring Bristol and the region much-needed new jobs and additional state and local tax revenue. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the lottery to satisfy all of the licensing requirements in a timely manner.”
In Danville, officials said they’re expecting the $15 million up-front payment from Caesars Virginia LLC to arrive soon. The city council will vote on final acceptance of the money at its December 15 meeting. Members won’t be voting on how to spend the funds at once; instead they agreed to review individual expenses as they come up. “I hope we’re not too anxious to spend this money without having a real good plan that the general public will have a comment on,” said Councilman Sherman Saunders said.
Previously, the council approved directing $5.9 million to go toward a new $17 million police station. Vice Mayor Gary Miller said he agreed that the city must be careful about how it spends the remaining $9.1 million. “At the end of the day, the citizens are going to hold the city council responsible for spending this money. The buck stops here,” Miller said.
Attorney Steven Gould, representing Caesars, shared the anticipated timeline for Caesars Virginia. He said Caesars has begun the search for an architect for a comprehensive design; a manager will be hired next year; a contractor will be chosen in the second or third quarter; and a groundbreaking could occur in fourth quarter 2021. Gould added educational partners will develop workforce training programs next year and hiring should start in late 2022 or early 2023. Construction should be complete in the second or third quarter 2023 and the casino is expected to open in third or fourth quarter. “We want to open as soon as we can,” Gould said.
Now through December 14, Richmond residents may take a survey asking what the city should consider in a proposal for a resort casino. The results will be used in a Request for Qualifications/Proposals, launching the competitive process to select a resort casino operator and location.
Mayor Levar Stoney said, “A competitive selection process will allow us to assess the best opportunity for Richmond. This survey is your opportunity to make sure the development proposals reflect your priorities, such as living-wage jobs, sustainable building practices and investment in the community.” Director of Economic Development Leonard Sledge added,
“Our primary objective is to identify a successful proposal that has outstanding economic opportunities and community benefits for Richmonders. We anticipate receiving multiple submissions, and we want to put a process in place to identify an operator and site that results in a true win for Richmond.”
The new casinos in Bristol, Danville, Richmond and Portsmouth will be authorized to offer legalized sports betting. Hall said the Lottery Board approved 70 pages of sports gaming regulations on September 15 and began accepting license applications on October 15; the application deadline was October 31. Hall said, “Our initial draft drew wide public comment and helpful recommendations from citizens, from major sports betting and casino operators, from several of the major sporting leagues. The reaction from the industry, so far, stakeholders think we have been transparent, accessible and reasonable during the rulemaking process.”
Hall said the board has received 25 applications from potential sportsbook operators and expects to issue the first license in early 2021. “There has been a high level of interest by leading national and international operators. We are now reviewing the applicants and we will conduct background and suitability checks within the 90-day time frame specified in the statute. We expect to be in position to issue the first online sports betting licenses early in 2021,” Hall said.
Currently sports bets can be placed in Virginia only through online platforms. Sports wagering is forecast to generate $5 million in state gaming tax revenue in its first year and $50 million annually by the fifth year, according to a 2019 report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The lottery hired Gina Smith, former chief financial officer and acting director at the Maryland Lottery, to lead the new gaming compliance division.
