Efforts have stalled to legalize casino gambling in North Carolina, but a casino project is moving forward in a Virginia city about 40 miles from the state line.
The Norfolk City Council voted 7-1 this week to approve a development contract with Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe for a waterfront casino with slot machines and gambling tables alongside a 200-room hotel. A temporary gambling hall will open next year, while the permanent casino is scheduled to open in 2027.
In early 2020, Virginia lawmakers passed a bill that permitted casinos in five cities, including Norfolk and neighboring Portsmouth, as long as local residents gave approval in a referendum. Norfolk and Portsmouth voters said yes that November.
The Rivers Casino in Portsmouth opened in early 2023. A casino referendum also passed in Danville, which is just over the North Carolina line and close to the Triad. Caesars Entertainment is building a 500-room hotel and 2,500 seat theater on the site of a former textile mill. A temporary Caesars casino, which opened last year, generates about $19 million in revenue each month.
In North Carolina, only American Indian tribes are permitted to operated casinos. State Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, led a push to expand legal gambling last year, with a focus on building casinos in rural areas. The proposal failed to pass and Berger said he was "not intent" on bringing back the legislation this year.
