The interior of the temporary casino facility in Petersburg. (Jackie DiBartolomeo photo)
The developers of the massive Live! Casino planned in Petersburg are set to give the region its first taste of what’s to come from the $1.4 billion project.
Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. and Virginia Beach’s Bruce Smith Enterprise next month will open a 75,000-square-foot temporary casino building as a first step toward the full casino resort taking shape at 301 Wagner Road.
The temporary casino, which completed construction in recent weeks, is a large tent structure with roughly 900 slot machines and 30 table games, a bar and a quick-service restaurant.
That compares with the larger, permanent facility that will be built on the same 100-acre property and will span more than 450,000 square feet of gaming with 1,600 slot machines and table areas including a 22-table poker room. The project will feature a 200-room hotel with dining space and over 75,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, including a 4,000-seat entertainment venue.
Construction is underway on the permanent casino resort after breaking ground in March of this year. It’s slated to open in 2027, at which point the soon-to-open temporary casino will be demolished. AnderCorp is the contractor.
According to Petersburg officials, the overall project is slated to bring $2.8 billion in economic stimulus to the region and promises $240 million in tax revenue to the city in its first decade.
A concept design for the permanent casino and resort exterior. (Courtesy Andy Poarch)
The temporary casino is tentatively set to open Jan. 22, pending regulatory approvals from Virginia Lottery.
“We are going to be absolutely ready (for opening) from a training standpoint,” said Cordish Gaming President Rob Norton. “By the end of this week, this casino will be fully functional.”
The temporary casino is set to create around 500 jobs, including about 100 table game dealers.
Norton said roughly 60% of those 500 jobs are filled. Hiring for different roles at the temporary casino is ongoing at a downtown Petersburg recruitment center in the former Pepsi warehouse at 1501 W. Washington St. The center opened last month.
Nearby Richard Bland College also recently launched a program to train students to work as game dealers at the upcoming permanent facility. The RBC Dealer Institute graduated its first class of about 75 people last week, said Live! Casino Senior Vice President Penny Parayo.
Parayo added that the Live! Casino brand also plans to transfer some employees from other casinos to the Petersburg location when it opens.
Some of the more than 900 slot machines at the temporary casino facility in Petersburg. (Jackie DiBartolomeo photo)
The Cordish Cos. said earlier this year that the permanent casino resort is slated to bring over 6,100 construction jobs and 1,400 permanent jobs in its first decade being open.
In November 2024, about 80% of Petersburg residents who voted approved a referendum to allow the casino in the city. The vote was the highest support for a casino referendum in Virginia history.
Petersburg was not the first option for a new casino in Central Virginia. Petersburg was given the chance after Richmond residents twice voted down a casino referendum for a project from a different development group.
The General Assembly passed legislation last April making Petersburg eligible to host a casino. Petersburg City Council then selected Cordish as the developer.
Live! Casino Virginia will be the fifth location under the Live! Casino brand. Its other facilities are in Maryland, Louisiana, and two in Pennsylvania.