'We're here now': Years of talk and votes give way to groundbreaking for Petersburg casino
PETERSBURG – While the dirt turned Wednesday morning at the site of the new Petersburg casino resort complex may have been ceremonial, the project’s developers say the real earth will begin moving soon enough that visitors could start gambling as early as the end of the year.
‘We’re here now. We have the heavy equipment starting to show up, and the contractors are here,” Rob Norton, president of Cordish Gaming Group, said shortly after shovels – not to mention cheers from the hundreds of people who gathered – went up during the ceremony. “This property, this site is not going to look the same in a month.”
The developers of the $1.4 billion Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia project, The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise, plan to start simultaneous construction within the coming few weeks on both the resort to be completed in 2027 and a temporary casino location with a target opening of the fourth quarter of 2025. That temporary casino, which will eventually be incorporated into the finished resort, will boast of 75,000 square feet with room for 900 slots, 33 gaming tables, and a casino bar and quick-service restaurant.
The temporary casino is expected to create 500 new jobs.
Wednesday, Norton also announced that Cordish and BSE reached a deal with Richard Bland College to train potential dealers. Those courses will begin in the summer.
“For anyone who had doubts about us or whether we were the right company or the right solution for Petersburg, we’re excited to show what we can do and what it means to Petersburg,” Norton told The Progress-Index. “I promise that in two, three years from now (skeptics) will be our biggest fans.”
Verbal back-slaps and high-fives
The heavy lifting is a few weeks away, but the spirit lifting of excitement for the resort was very much on display Wednesday morning at the 90+ acre site off Wagner Road in southern Petersburg.
Attendees started arriving at the site at 8 a.m., hours before the groundbreaking ceremony began. By the time the ceremony started in mid-morning, vehicles parked not just on both sides of Brasfield Parkway leading to the site, but all the way back into lots at convenience stores, hotels and other businesses on Wagner Road.
Some folks sat while others stood. But all took turns showing enthusiasm at an event that took on the aura of a combination pep and gospel rally with an almost equal number of cheers and “Amens” shouted.
Speaker after speaker congratulated almost everyone involved in the three-year push to bring the casino to Petersburg, from the folks who conceptualized the plans, to the city and state legislators who argued for the referendum that authorized gambling here, to the voters who overwhelmingly passed that referendum with an 82% approval rating.
“That’s the highest approval rating any referendum ever got in Virginia,” Zed Smith, the chief operating officer of Cordish, said to cheers.
“Getting here hasn’t been easy,” Mayor Sam Parham said from the stage, flanked by what he called a “unified” City Council. “Today’s milestone is possible only because of the dedication and hard work of many.”
Parham also praised the voters for passing the referendum, adding, “Your trust and dedication have moved us forward, and now we are turning this effort into action today.”
For locals, a time to celebrate
Petersburg native Paulette Allen stood out from her fellow attendees with her attire. Her shiny emerald-and-gold sequins sparkled in the sun-splashed warm day.
"This has been a long time coming," Allen, who now lives in Dinwiddie County, said. "It's a blessing and awesome how it will promote other jobs and bring revenue to the city. I may seek employment and will frequent the attraction."
Lakia Brooks is a business license inspector in the Petersburg commissioner of the revenue's office. She admitted to be excited over how much more work the project will bring to her desk, with all the new businesses and contractors associated with it.
But Brooks also admitted to personal excitement.
"We can't wait for it to open," she gushed. "I think I'll be the first one there."
City Manager March Altman called it "a tremendous day" for the Petersburg community.
"It's the solidification between Cordish, Bruce Smith Enterprise and the city," Altman said. "We look forward to the temporary casino going up this year and the permanent ribbon-cutting in 2027. The casino helps Petersburg become a destination place in the Richmond region, and we're grateful for their partnership and faith in our community."
Petersburg Sheriff Vanessa Crawford said she was looking forward to "the educational opportunities, public safety and economic growth that the casino will present to this community."
Keith Boswell, president and CEO of Virginia's Gateway Region, was very succinct in his thoughts.
"It's a great day for the region," Boswell said.
What will the finished product look like?
When completed in 2027, Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia will include:
- more than 450,000 square feet of gaming, hotel and dining space;
- 75,000 square feet of meeting, convention and entertainment space including a 4,000-seat entertainment venue that will draw top talent from across Virginia and the nation;
- an upscale 200-room hotel featuring 20 suites, resort pool and fitness center;
- 1,600 slot machines;
- 65 live action table games, including a 22-table poker room;
- high limit slot and table areas;
- Sportsbook;
- 10 top-shelf food and entertainment options, including local partners; and
- free parking.
More than 7,500 new jobs will be created by the project. That includes 6,100 during the construction phase and 1,400 permanent hires for the resort.
The developers estimate that in its first 10 years of operation, the Petersburg site will generate $2.8 billion in economic benefits for central Virginia, $240 million in tax revenues for Petersburg and $504 million for the region. The construction work is forecast to bring $802 million in economic benefits to central Virginia.
After opening, the region’s annual economic benefits are predicted to top $201 million.
At Wednesday’s groundbreaking, the developers announced they will host a job fair April 9 at the Petersburg Public Library for local building contractors and hotel/casino vendors.