Two temporary casinos are operating in Virginia: Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock, and Caesars Danville. Phase one of the Pamunkey Tribe’s HeadWaters Casino in Norfolk may begin later this year.
Cash giveaways, prize drawings and entertainment marked the 1-year anniversary at the Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock at the former Bristol Mall. The price for the permanent facility, expected to open next summer, has risen from $400 million to $520 million.
Amenities will include a 92,000-square-foot gaming floor with 1,500 slots, 75 table games and a poker room; the current 30,000-square-foot casino offers about 900 slots, 29 tables and a sportsbook. The Hard Rock also will offer a 303-room hotel, amphitheater, retail, pool and spa and dining options including a signature Hard Rock Café, Council Oak Steaks and Seafood fine dining, an Asian noodle bar, coffee shop and a large “grab-and-go” area.
Officials said the temporary Bristol Casino, the first in the state, attracted 1.21 million visitors and paid out $92 million in jackpots since it opened on July 8, 2022.
Allie Evangelista, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, told Cardinal News, “It’s just been very overwhelming when it comes to how much we feel a part of the family and the community. We couldn’t be happier with our first year together and we’re looking forward to opening the doors next year and welcoming everybody to a brand-new facility.”
Evangelista said the foundation has been completed and the former Sears and JCPenney buildings have been demolished. She added, “In just a few weeks, the community will be able to drive by Gate City Highway and see the projects going up.”
The permanent casino will offer a larger area for non-smoking patrons that will be closed off from the smoking area and feature higher ceilings.
Evangelista noted a traffic study will be completed by the end of the summer to determine what changes may be required to handle the casino’s expected traffic.
Mark Chapman, an economic development specialist for Bristol, said real estate prices have risen dramatically in the area around the casino. For example, a 13.6-acre site with a building across the highway from the casino, listed at $9 million, last sold in March 2015 for $190,000.
Since opening, Evangelista said the casino has contributed more than $448,000 to local nonprofit organizations, including $155,000 given by team members. She added the casino has spent $53 million on products and services from more than 100 local vendors.
According to state data, from July 8 through May 31, the casino posted adjusted gross revenue of about $150 million. December was the biggest month with revenue of $14.87 million.
Tax-wise, since opening, the casino has paid $25.9 million in state taxes. Chapman noted it also paid more than $100,000 in real estate taxes to the city. Furthermore, 14 localities, including two cities (Bristol is one) and 12 counties also benefit financially from the casino; each will receive more than $618,000 a year in revenue sharing, according to the Virginia Lottery.
Meanwhile, six dealer training events have been held and more are planned before the permanent casino opens. To date, 600 full-time and part-time employees have been hired and another 600 will be hired before the opening, Evangelista said.
“It’s going to help us open the doors next year in a much better prepared way than if we just went straight to the permanent casino,” she told Cardinal News.
Caesars Danville opened on May 15 and officials said more than 200,000 people have visited since. In its first 17 days, the casino generated nearly $12 million in revenue, said General Manager Chris Albrecht. He noted the temporary facility has already added 60 more slots, four electronic table games and four sports betting kiosks.
Albrecht said the casino employs 415 people, with about half Danville residents.
“Our wages and rates being very strong, healthy in the region, and now that word has spread what table games dealers can make, what a slot attendant can make, we’re getting just a tremendous amount of interest right now,” he told WFXR.
Danville City Manager Ken Larking said one of the goals of the casino is to bring more people to Danville, as visitors and residents, which could help boost the local economy.
He told WFXR, “What we’re hoping is that all the new jobs that we are attracting to our community gives people that are in our communities and the surrounding area, opportunities to better themselves financially so their households have more income, so they can afford to move up to a larger house or if the costs are increasing for the house they’re living in, then it’s more affordable for them anyway.”
Larking noted the city is facing a shortage of available, affordable housing. According to Debra Fugato, director of the Dan River Region Association of Realtors, the hike in housing costs actually is a positive indicator of growth in the city. “We are in a transition time here in Danville, and we wanted it to grow, so it’s growing,” she said.
Ground won’t be broken on phase one of Norfolk’s $500 million HeadWaters Resort and Casino until later this year, developers recently told the city’s Architectural Review Board. Phase two would begin 12 months to 14 months later and be completed within 24 months. More than two-thirds of the temporary, phase one casino would be built into the permanent, second phase of the project, explained development consultant John Thompson.
“We’ve been trying to be very responsive to generate cash for the city as soon as possible. We are working very diligently to deliver that,” Thompson told the Virginian-Pilot.
Current plans for the project, owned by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, include a 90,000-square-foot structure with a casino floor, sports bar, lobby and 1,200-space parking structure. The second phase would include a hotel, pool, spa and entertainment venue.
Architectural Review Board members also questioned architect Daron Andrus about the casino’s facade, pedestrian areas and parking garage. The board will vote on the plan at July 24 meeting; if approved, the planning commission will consider it on July 27.
