Caesars’ temporary casino brings in $222 million since opening last year

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - The temporary Caesars casino is still raking in big bucks after being open for one year.

Meanwhile, construction continues on the permanent casino right next door.

Since opening last May, the casino has generated $222 million in gaming revenue.

Danville has received nearly $20 million of that as part of their agreement – $7 million more than expected.

“We figured it would be more, but we didn’t know it was gonna be this much more,” said Ken Larking, Danville City Manager. “That’s all great, actually, because it’s a temporary facility. It’s in a tent. They don’t have near the number of games that they would have in the full casino.”

Larking says the money is going toward neighborhood parks, school improvements, economic development and more.

“We want to invest in what would grow our city including more businesses, more opportunities for jobs, better quality of life, better recreational amenities, better education, workforce development, those are the kinds of things that we’re investing in,” added Larking.

General Manager Chris Albrecht says the temporary casino sees around 100,000 visitors per month. He expects that number to grow substantially once the permanent casino opens.

“That’s really going to bring a lot more customers from further away when we have all the offerings from the hotel, the restaurants, the entertainment meeting space, the pool, and the spa,” said Albrecht. “It’s going to drive visitation from even further and further away. So, we’re really excited to move next door here in the next few months.”

Their current staff will also jump from about 400 people to around 1,200.

“Those jobs are number one and that incremental revenue to the city will help support existing businesses and hopefully new investment into this market as well,” said Albrecht.

They say the permanent casino is still on track to open by the end of the year.

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