Virginia’s first casino, Hard Rock’s Bristol Casino, will remain a small temporary location for a few more months after the company announced last week they are delaying the July grand opening of the full resort. Hard Rock International said they are delaying the grand opening until late fall. The current temporary casino opened in July 2022.
Hard Rock originally planned to have the full permanent resort open in May this year, which was then moved to July. The plan now is to extend the “grand opening timeline” into late fall. The resort is a joint venture between Hard Rock, Clyde Stacy of Par Ventures LLC and Jim McGlothlin of The United Company.
“Instead of opening the permanent casino in stages beginning in July, the partnership team prefers to have a grand opening with a fully operational casino and amenities for an overall better guest experience,” Hard Rock said in a company press release.
“The response to our temporary casino has been overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating the excitement for Hard Rock’s permanent presence in Bristol,” said Allie Evangelista, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. “While we are eager to unveil the new resort, this extension allows us time to ensure the finished product exceeds the expectations of our guests and the community.”
In the meantime, the 30,000 square foot temporary ‘Bristol Casino – Future Home of Hard Rock’ continues to provide a sample of what’s to come from the full permanent resort. Located at 500 Gate City Highway at the site of the former Bristol Mall, the casino features 903 slot machines, 29 table games, restaurants, and a Hard Rock Bet sportsbook.
Hard Rock said over 600 construction workers are around the temporary location daily, diligently working to bring the permanent casino resort to fruition. The temporary Bristol Casino has welcomed visitors from all 50 U.S. states since opening in 2022.
Future Virginia Casinos
Bristol, Va., is just one of five cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia that were approved to develop casinos based on legislation passed in 2020. Bristol, Portsmouth, Danville, Norfolk, and Richmond were the designated cities. Hard Rock’s Bristol Casino, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and Caesars Virginia’s Danville Casino are open. Danville Casino is currently operating from a temporary location like Bristol Casino.
Richmond voters rejected the idea of a casino in the state capital twice, once in 2021, and again in 2023. Now the City of Petersburg has taken Richmond’s place to organize a voter referendum for a casino during the election in November.
Bristol Casino will mark its 2nd anniversary on July 8. After opening as the first casino in Virginia, the casino has taken second place in generating Adjusted Gaming Revenue (AGR) over the past two years.
According to monthly casino gaming activity reports published by the Virginia Lottery, Bristol Casino has generated over $312 million in AGR since opening in 2022, compared to Rivers Casino Portsmouth with over $352 million opening in January 2023, and Danville Casino at over $252 million opening in May 2023.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth advertised its grand opening in January 2023 as Virginia’s first “permanent” casino, skipping plans to open a temporary location. Rivers Casino features 1,446 slot machines, 81 table games, restaurants, and a BetRivers Sportsbook. An online/mobile BetRivers app is also live in the Commonwealth.
Caesar Virginia’s Danville Casino features 820 slots, 33 table games, a restaurant, and Caesars Sportsbook kiosk in a temporary structure nicknamed “the tent” until the full resort opens later this year. A Caesars Sportsbook phone app is live in Virginia.
Bristol Casino has a Hard Rock Bet sportsbook at their temporary location with an online/mobile app available in the state.
A $500 million casino planned in Norfolk has been delayed by multiple changes to the preliminary site plan submitted to the city. Titled HeadWaters Resort & Casino, the project is managed by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.
