Caesars Entertainment revealed renderings last Friday for its planned $500 million casino and hotel in Danville, Virginia, which will include a 25 table, WSOP-branded poker room.
Construction of Caesars Danville is expected to start in December and be completed sometime in 2023. The casino was designed by Marnell Companies, the same architectural firm that designed the Bellagio, the Borgata, the M Resort, and the Osage Casino in Tulsa, just to name a few.
Caesars is promoting its new property as a “premier destination resort casino.” The hotel will contain 500 rooms, a pool, a spa, and a fitness center. The casino floor will have enough space for 1,400 slots and table games, a sportsbook, and the aforementioned WSOP poker room.
A 40,000 square-foot convention space and an entertainment venue that can hold up to 2,500 people is also included. The casino is expected to employ 1,300.
“Over the course of the last two years, myself, City Council and staff have taken great care to develop plans, alongside residents and Caesars Entertainment, to create a resort that will positively impact the community through new tax revenue, jobs, partnership opportunities with local businesses and tourism dollars,” said Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones in a press release. “We are confident that Caesars Virginia will honor the old Dan River Mills’ Schoolfield site and become a pillar of pride for Danville and its people.”
Five for Virginia
Virginia is on the cusp of a casino boom. After Governor Ralph Northan signed a law in March 2019 allowing people in five cities to vote whether or not they want a casino, gaming corporations swooped in to try to land a spot in the brand new market.
In addition to the Caesars Danville property, residents in four other areas of the state are expected to see new gaming opportunities arrive in their communities sometime in 2023, including:
Richmond
Voters Richmond voters will determine the fate of the proposed ONE Casino and Resort project when they take to the polls in November. The proposed $517 million casino would be built by Urban One, which bills itself as “the largest Black-owned TV network and distributor of digital urban content in the nation.” The media outlet which operates KISS-FM, ESPN Richmond, and Praise Richmond, among other channels, is partnering with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, which owns Colonial Downs racetrack.
The planned casino will have a 90,000 square-foot gaming floor with 1,800 slot machines, 100 gaming tables, and a sportsbook. No poker room has been mentioned. The hotel will have 250 rooms and suites, and will be flanked by a live entertainment venue.
Portsmouth
Rivers Casino expects to open its $300 million, 50,000 square-foot casino sometime late next year or in early 2023. No details about poker have been released, but three of the corporation’s other casinos have poker rooms, and plans are to open a room in its casino outside of Chicago.
The Portsmouth location will include a sportsbook, restaurants, an entertainment space, and 62,000 additional square feet of convention space.
Norfolk
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, partnering with billionaire Jon Yarbrough, will construct a $500 million casino and hotel next to Harbor Park, which is home to the Baltimore Orioles Triple-A team, the Tides.
Headwaters Resort and Casino will have 3,000 slot machines, 150 table games, and a 300-room hotel featuring a rooftop pool. The casino announced it selected its construction firms just last week. It’s expected to open in 2023.
Bristol
Hard Rock is planning a $400 million casino, featuring 750 hotel rooms (opening with a minimum of 300), more than 2,700 slots, 100 table games, and a 3,200-seat Hard Rock Live venue. Additional amenities will include seven restaurants, four bars, outdoor entertainment, 50-thousand feet of convention space, and more. The casino is looking at opening in late 2022 or in early 2023.
