Vegas-style casino opening near Virginia-North Carolina state line
A Vegas-style casino will soon open just across the North Carolina state line in Danville, Virginia.
Caesars Virginia, about a 90-minute drive from the Triangle, is betting big on visitors from North Carolina. The casino is owned by Caesars Entertainment.
Under a temporary white tent, guests will find the dancing lights and scrolling screens of 740 gaming machines, 25 live table games and eight sports betting kiosks.
The Vegas-based company is building a $650 million resort around the temporary tent casino.
"We decided it was a great opportunity to look forward and getting this operation going, starting to generate some revenue, getting team members trained," said Chris Albrecht, general manager of Caesars Virginia.
The plans date back to 2020, when voters in four Virginia cities approved commercial casinos, all within a short drive from the Tennessee or North Carolina borders.
"Everything right now has been speculation, but we’re looking forward to seeing the demand this business will drive and the customers and where they’ll come from," said Albrecht.
Lisa Meriwether, Danville's tourism manager, estimates 2 million visitors each year but said that number will likely grow from casino visitors driving up from the Tar Heel state.
"We’ve never had a product like this in this part of the state, so it’s a game changer for us," Meriwether said.
The larger resort is set to open in 2024. A ribbon cutting for the temporary tent casino will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday.
So far this year, state lawmakers have not taken action to expand casinos beyond tribal lands in North Carolina.
