(Danville) — The casino is open.
More than four years after Danville voters overwhelmingly approved a casino referendum, Caesars Tuesday cut the ribbon on the $750 million Caesars Virginia Casino and Resort. It sits on the site where the former Dan River Schoolfield Mill stood for nearly a century.
Tuesday’s ceremonies began with a parade in the River District, featuring race cars from VIR and from overseas. The parade wound its way through downtown Danville, including quick trips to the Ross-Holbrook neighborhood, before ending at the casino. Dozens of people showed up along the route to cheer it on.
NBA legend Dennis Rodman placed the ceremonial first bet at Caesars sportsbook. He took a parlay on all of the teams he played for in his professional career. That includes the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
After that it was on to the ribbon-cutting. Caesars COO Anthony Carano welcomed hundreds to the event. He says Caesars Virginia will be a worthy addition to the corporation’s properties. “This beautiful destination encompasses what the Caesars brand is all about,” said Carano. “From exceptional restaurants, high-energy gaming and exciting entertainment, Caesars Virginia has it all. The fantastic amenities coupled with the Family Style Service Caesars is known for make for a world-class destination we know our guests and the community will love.”
Caesars Regional President Baron Fuller says Danville needs to prepare for a ton of new visitors. “What an incredible day for Danville, and for the 130,000 unique customers we’ve already welcomed through our temporary facility,” said Fuller. “And also for those customers who will be first-time visitors to our new facility today.”
Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones says Caesars has already had a positive impact on the city. “Since the groundbreaking in September of 2022, we’ve witnessed the creation of hundreds of jobs providing stable employment and career paths for people not only from Danville, but also from surrounding communities,” Jones said.
Chris Albrecht is the casino’s General Manager. He says they’ve come far in the four years since the project was announced. “This has been an impressive development project to see come together over the past couple of years and we couldn’t be prouder to finally open the doors of this beautiful destination,” said Albrecht. “We couldn’t have done it without the support of our partners, Team Members and the Danville community and we’re so grateful to have had so many of them here with us to celebrate. We look forward to what the future holds here in Virginia, and we can’t wait to share it with our guests.”
Caesars closed out their first full day in Danville with a Drone and Fireworks show straddling the three sisters smokestacks that served the former Schoolfield mill.
Caesars Virginia boasts 90,000 square feet of gaming space, including nearly 1,500 of the newest, most exciting slots, 79 live-action table games, 48 electronic table games, a WSOP™ poker room and Caesars Sportsbook.
Caesars Virginia is also home to a 320-room hotel tower, 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention space that also serves as a 2,500-seat live entertainment venue, a full-service spa, pool and a wide variety of dining options, including Ramsay’s Kitchen by multi-Michelin-starred chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay, Dan Dan Noodle, Three Stacks and the 500 Block Food Hall by local developer Rick Barker and local restaurateur Steve Parry.