Caesars Virginia in Danville confirmed this week that construction of the permanent resort remains on schedule and that the entertainment destination will open before the end of the year.
During a Virginia Lottery board meeting last week, Ray Dunkle, the lottery’s director of gaming operations, said progress continues to move swiftly at the Danville construction site.
Construction is moving great. It looks significantly different,” Dunkle explained in his update. “They’re looking to open in the fourth quarter.”
Caesars Virginia is being built on the former grounds of Dan River Inc.’s textile campus, which served as Danville’s economic engine for more than 100 years until an India-based conglomerate acquired the apparel and fabrics giant in 2006 and moved its operations overseas. The integrated resort casino has retained the manufacturing grounds’ iconic “Three Sisters” smokestacks to pay homage to the property’s historic roots.
Danville is located just north of the North Carolina border. Along with its former textile industry, the city’s economy throughout its history relied heavily on tobacco production. The area was also the third and final capital of the Confederacy before its surrender in the Civil War.
Workers Wanted
When it opens later this year, Caesars Virginia will offer a 320-room hotel and a casino floor equipped with roughly 1,300 slot machines, 85 live dealer table games, 24 electronic table games, a Caesars Sportsbook, and a World Series of Poker Room. Resort amenities include a full-service spa, an outdoor pool, a 2,500-seat live concert theater, 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and a variety of dining and drinking options.
To staff such an operation, Caesars Entertainment says it needs more than 650 workers. Caesars Virginia is holding a job fair in Browns Summit at the Bryan Park Conference Center until 3 pm on Tuesday.
Both unemployed and underemployed people are encouraged to visit the job fair to learn more about the array of jobs Caesars Virginia must fill. Openings include table game dealers, pit supervisors and managers, public relations and social media specialists, slot attendants, kitchen workers, waitstaff, HVAC techs, and electricians.
The 650 positions are in addition to the approximately 430 team members presently employed at the resort’s temporary pavilion tent casino. The provisional gaming space has 826 slots and 36 table games. The casino generated gross gaming revenue of $19.2 million in June.
Casino Changes
During its bid to partner with Danville for its casino opportunity that local voters approved of during the 2020 election, Caesars pledged to employ 1,300 people. The casino operator has since appealed and obtained approval from the Danville City Council to amend the operating terms to employ a minimum of 900 people.
Caesars also trimmed the number of hotel rooms from an originally pledged 500 occupancies to 320. The adjustment was the result of skyrocketing labor and materials costs due to inflation.
When Danville picked Caesars as its gaming partner, the Las Vegas-based company said it would invest $500 million to bring its Virginia resort to reality. The budget has since ballooned to $750 million.
Caesars’ original development agreement with the city required it to build a minimum of 300 hotel rooms rated four stars or higher.
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