Caesars Virginia in Danville has confirmed that the construction of its permanent resort is progressing as planned and is set to open before the year concludes. The $750 million project, located on the former grounds of Dan River Inc.’s textile campus, is making significant strides, as highlighted during a recent Virginia Lottery board meeting. Ray Dunkle, the lottery’s director of gaming operations, reported that the construction site looks “significantly different” and that the resort is on track to open in the fourth quarter of the year.
The historic site, once an economic powerhouse for Danville, has retained its iconic “Three Sisters” smokestacks to honor its past. Danville, which lies just north of the North Carolina border, has a rich history steeped in textile manufacturing, tobacco production, and even served as the final capital of the Confederacy.
Once completed, Caesars Virginia will feature a 320-room hotel and a bustling casino floor with approximately 1,300 slot machines, 85 live dealer table games, 24 electronic table games, a Caesars Sportsbook, and a World Series of Poker Room. Additional resort amenities will 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 operate such an expansive facility, Caesars Entertainment is looking to hire over 650 workers and is hosting a job fair at the Bryan Park Conference Center in Browns Summit. Positions available range from table game dealers, pit supervisors, and managers to public relations specialists, slot attendants, kitchen staff, waitstaff, HVAC technicians, and electricians. These roles will complement the roughly 430 team members currently employed at the resort’s temporary pavilion tent casino, which houses 826 slots and 36 table games, generating $19.2 million in gross gaming revenue in June alone.
During the initial bid to partner with Danville, Caesars had committed to hiring 1,300 people. However, the company later obtained approval from the Danville City Council to amend this to a minimum of 900 employees, citing soaring labor and material costs due to inflation. The number of hotel rooms was also revised from the initially pledged 500 to 320. Despite these changes, the investment in the project has grown from the originally planned $500 million to $750 million.
The original development agreement mandated the construction of a minimum of 300 hotel rooms rated four stars or higher, a standard that Caesars continues to uphold. The completion of this project promises to breathe new life into Danville, poised to draw numerous visitors and provide substantial employment opportunities.
