
Key points:
- The permanent Caesars Virginia casino will open next week
- This is the third permanent casino to open in Virginia
The Caesars Virginia permanent casino will debut December 17, according to a WSET local news report.
Caesars Virginia is the third casino to take up residence within Virginia’s borders. The temporary facility has been open to the public for more than a year.
Since its opening, the temporary casino has generated gaming taxes and revenue totaling $29m up to October.
Danville City Manager Ken Larking told local news that tax revenue coming from the casino “was monumental of the city’s economy” and contributed “so many sectors across the board.”
He commented, “Education...workforce development, economic development, economic opportunity, investments in infrastructure and parks and recreation, all the things that if you do it right it will produce their own long-term benefits for the community.”
Larkin said the city estimates that the permanent location could bring in $32m per year for the City of Danville.
He said in closing, "Our budget process is ramping up at this point with a few months under our belt of what it looks like, and we'll be able to make some idea of some projections of the fiscal year.”
Good to know: Virginia’s three casinos are HR Bristol, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and Caesars Virginia
The state’s other casinos, Rivers Casino Portsmouth and HR Bristol welcomed guests for the first time two years ago.
Virginia lawmakers have attempted to bring additional casinos to the state for the past couple years.
The question of whether Petersburg would welcome a casino has been answered with a resounding no. The Senate committee struck down attempts to land a casino in Petersburg during both the 2022 and 2023 legislative session.
However, lawmakers in Petersburg voted in favor of bringing in a new casino to the city earlier this year. Legislation passed in both the House of Delegates and in the Senate.