On Wednesday, April 26, the Virginia Lottery Board, Virginia’s gambling regulator, officially approved Caesars Virginia’s license application, making the operator officially the third approved casino operator in Virginia alongside HR Bristol and Rivers Casino Portsmouth.
In addition, the operator will firstly operate from a temporary facility in Danville until its permanent facility is completed.
Extensive background investigation:
The regulator decided to grant the approval after an extensive review of the application materials submitted by Caesars Virginia officials, operated by Caesars Entertainment, and a comprehensive background investigation.
In this regard, Board Chairman Ferhan Hamid, said: “The Virginia Lottery Board takes very seriously its statutory role overseeing casino gambling in the Commonwealth.
“All Virginians, whether or not they use these facilities, need to be aware that they are operated and regulated responsibly.”
After an extensive presentation by Caesars and Virginia Lottery officials, one board member said: “I move that the Virginia Lottery Board find that Caesars Virginia LLC meets the criteria for a casino gaming facilities operator’s license.”
Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kelly T. Gee added: “For months, the Lottery’s Gaming Compliance Department and legal team have conducted background investigations and examined every detail of this application.
“Those investigations include not just Caesars Virginia, but all the vendors and employees as well.”
The approval paved the way for the temporary casino to officially open in mid-May, aka May 15, and was the latest step in an extensive process that started with the approval of casino gambling in 2020.
Furthermore, Caesars Virginia will be the third casino in Virginia as mentioned above and Caesars Entertainment and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is projected to invest over $650 million in the facility.
Temporary casino layout:
“The temporary casino is a 40,000-square-foot property that will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning May 15 at 10 A.M.ET pending successful completion of test dates with the Virginia Lottery,” according to casino officials.
The casino will offer:
- 740 of the newest and most popular slot machine titles;
- 25 live table games, involving Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and more;
- 28 electronic table games, including Blackjack, Roulette and Craps;
- Eight Caesars Sportsbook self-service betting kiosks offering a wide array of sports wagering opportunities;
- Caesars Rewards® Center, providing guests the opportunity to join Caesars’ award-winning customer loyalty program and begin earning Rewards Credits;
- Three Stacks, a 24/7 quickserve restaurant, serving classic American fare.
In this regard, Chris Albrecht, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Danville Casino and Caesars Virginia, said: “The opening of the Danville Casino is a monumental step forward for us, and we are excited to begin welcoming guests on May 15.”
“The Danville Casino will create 400 new jobs at the temporary facility,” according to casino officials.
Layout of the permanent casino-resort:
As for the permanent resort, it will involve a 500-room hotel and a casino gaming floor with more than 1,300 slots, 85 live table games, 24 electronic table games, a WSOP™ poker room and a Caesars Sportsbook.
Furthermore, it will involve a full-service spa, pool, bars and restaurants, a 2,500-seat live entertainment theater and 40,000 square meters of meeting and convention space.
In this regard, Albrecht said: “We’re keeping the three sisters smokestacks there, kind of our nod to the past there. and you’ll see this wonderful regional destination that truly will be one of the best regional properties that Caesars has to offer and one I would say would be one of the best in the United States.”
