Why would the Vegas-style casino being constructed by Caesars Entertainment in Danville, VA, concern North Carolina leaders?
The answer is simple: money. The massive $650 million casino resort will attract many Northern Carolinians to cross the border to gamble. This has North Carolina leaders concerned that the state’s three tribal casinos will not be able to compete.
In fact, a recent study shows that the state could lose $259 million in gaming revenue annually to their northern neighbors.
Caesars Va to open short-term casino within Danville the following month
Virginia is playing catch-up when it comes to retail casinos. Voters in 2020 approved the construction of Virginia casinos in four cities: Danville, Norfolk, Bristol and Portsmouth. Two of these cities already have operating casinos. Casinos in Danville and Norfolk are set to open in 2024, including Caesars Virginia.
However, Caesars Virginia is not waiting until 2024. A temporary facility will be housed in a tent as early as next month. It will feature 740 gaming machines, 25 casino table games, and eight kiosks dedicated to gambling, according to Bob Albrecht, the general manager of Caesars Virginia.
“We decided it was a great opportunity to look forward and get this operation going, start generating some revenue, and get team members trained,” Albrecht said.
Research shows effect Virginia internet casinos could have upon North Carolina
Every one of Virginia’s current and anticipated casinos are located in Southern Virginia, near the border with North Carolina. The upcoming Caesars Virginia in Danville will also be just 90 minutes away from the Triangle area, which is home to several major universities in North Carolina.
This has prompted North Carolina leaders to call for a study on the potential to establish casinos in NC to offset the revenue outflow to Virginia. The analysis conducted by the Spectrum Gaming Group estimated that Virginia casinos could capture approximately $259 million in gaming revenue annually from North Carolina gamblers.
This analysis considered internet casinos in all several Virginia places. The largest damage would be from Caesars California in Danville.
- Danville: $236. some million
- Portsmouth + Norfolk: $12. 5 million
- Bristol: $10 zillion
Increasing the NC internet casinos might be a fix, state senator says
With only three casinos in North Carolina, Senate leader Phil Berger has suggested that the state should explore options to address the expected outflow of money due to casinos near the border in Virginia.
The three North Carolina casinos include two on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians territory in western North Carolina and the third on Catawba tribe land off Interstate 85, not far from the South Carolina border. Berger argues that they are too far away from where most North Carolinians reside.
“If you look at population centers, the real population centers are south of Danville in North Carolina. So I believe there’s a legitimate area of concern about a drain from North Carolina into Virginia: dollars, business, people. We’ll see whether there’s something that is feasible for us to do in North Carolina to address that,” Berger said.
One potential option is to increase the number of casinos in the state, particularly in northern North Carolina. The same study that indicated Virginia could capture $259 million in revenue from North Carolina also stated that the impact of standalone casinos in three northern counties could generate $1.6 billion in annual revenue. Berger believes the state should explore that option.
“Whether it’s gaming or something like that, I think it’s worth exploring. We haven’t done that yet, but I’m sure there’ll be conversations,” Berger added.
