There was much fanfare. Former NBA great Dennis Rodman was on hand to greet casino guests and to graciously pose for pictures. Costumed showgirls also took photographs with customers and lent a Las Vegas-styled touch to the affair.

Once inside, customers lined up at gaming tables and slot machines to try their luck at games of chance. The casino features 1,500 slot machines, multiple gaming tables and a full sports book. Caesars Virginia’s was scheduled to open Dec. 12, but the opening was delayed to allow contractors to finish the hotel.

Excited customers dined at new restaurants or simply meandered through the casino, comparing it to those they’d visited in Las Vegas or Cherokee, North Carolina or the temporary tented casino structure across the parking lot, which has accommodated gamblers since May 2023. That facility concurrently did a brisk business Tuesday, even as the doors to the new casino were opening. The temporary casino will close late Wednesday or early Thursday, a security guard said.

An economic boon?

Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones was all smiles and basking in the glow of the lights and media attention as he animatedly talked about the economic boost that he said the casino has brought to town.

The property, a partnership between Caesars Entertainment and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has already been an economic game-changer for Danville, a former mill town of about 41,000 residents, Jones said.

He noted that Danville has received $20 million in gaming tax revenue since the temporary casino opened in May 2023. The city projects the casino will generate $35 million to $40 million in annual gaming tax revenue moving forward.

“This resort has already brought immense benefits to our community,” Jones told the crowd gathered in front of the casino just before the doors opened. “Since the groundbreaking in 2022, we’ve witnessed the creation of hundreds of jobs, providing stable employment and career paths for residents, not only from Danville, but from surrounding communities.”

Jenny Gay, a Danville native, is excited about the tax revenue the casino will bring. Gay said the additional money will help Danville grow and to thrive.

“We’re an old mill, factory town, this is where Dan River Mills was originally, so to see something that will bring money into the city is a wonderful idea,” Gay said. “Hopefully this will bring in more job opportunities.”

Gay noted the casino will have a residual economic impact with people moving to town, renting apartments, buying homes and spending money in restaurants and on other goods and services.

“This is a good economic boost for us,” Gay said.

Critics say claims of economic benefits from casinos are overblown or nonexistent

Notwithstanding the claims of Mayor Jones and other casino supporters, some critics like advocates at the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Stop Predatory Gambling warn the glowing promises that typically accompany the opening of new gambling facilities rarely, if ever, translate into reality.

A 2019 study prepared by the group details a long list of ills to which it says regional casinos typically give rise, including:

• a dramatic rise in addicted gamblers — many of them local residents — that can actually exceed the number of jobs a casino creates
• only a very modest bump in tax revenues that, in the long run, slows or even reverses and declines
• a rising demand for public services to aid individuals and families harmed by gambling addiction
• the extraction of vast amounts of wealth from low- and moderate-income consumers

The study also cites a quartet of American cities that successfully opted to reject casinos and instead invest in healthier and more sustainable economic development projects, along with a poll which found a large majority of New Jersey residents had come to believe that “gambling hasn’t been good for the state.”

WSET television reported in August that, despite the presence of the temporary casino for more than a year, unemployment in the Danville area had risen to 6.2% — its highest level since 2021.

Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg said the success of the temporary casino allowed the partners to build a grander version of what had been proposed.

“The way that it was accepted in the community and the way that you came to visit and our players came, allowed us to make this even grander than it otherwise would have been,” Reed said. “That tent was a workhorse and we’re going to be sorry to see it go but it allowed us to build this extraordinary property behind us.”

Later, in an interview with NC Newsline, Mayor Jones easily rattled off the distances between his city, Raleigh and Greensboro and other neighboring towns across the North Carolina border.

“We welcome North Carolinians,” Jones said. “We’re one hour away from Greensboro and an hour and a half from Raleigh. Those are our partners too.”

North Carolina gamblers

Natasha Staley of Snow Camp, North Carolina made the one hour and 15-minute drive to Danville to attend the grand opening with family and friends as part of a girl’s trip.

“Finally, there’s a Caesars casino that’s closer than the others ones we have in North Carolina,” Staley said. “The others are about four-plus hours away and yes it’s across state lines and our money will be going to the Danville casino but it would be better if we had one even close that this one.”

An avid gambler who frequently travels to Las Vegas, Staley said it was important to attend the grand opening to see what all of the hype was about.

“It’s like a miniature, pocket-sized Caesars’ casino but they’re still giving you the atmosphere, they’re still giving you the feeling that you’re walking through Caesars and along with that, they’re giving you the merchandise, the games and everything.”

Chemika Nunnally of Greensboro was part of the girl’s trip. Nunnally said she visited the casino in Cherokee a few times a year, adding that she will likely travel to Danville more frequently because it’s much closer.

Nunnally said North Carolina should allow more casinos to avoid losing money to Virginia.

“North Carolina should be concerned,” Nunnally said. “That’s a lot of money being lost. This has been packed since they brought the tents here. We could keep the money in North Carolina but they [lawmakers] refuse to [allow more casinos.]”

Howard Duke of Whisett, North Carolina lives 45 minutes from Danville. Duke frequently traveled to Cherokee to gamble but welcomes the shorter drive.

“It’s [Caesars Virginia] too close,” Duke joked.

Duke believes state lawmakers should expand gambling opportunities in North Carolina.

“I figure, I made the money, and I ought to be able to spend it anyway I want to,” Duke said. “No one should be telling me what to do.”

Karen Thompson, Duke’s gambling companion, agreed that North Carolina should expand gambling.

“A lot of people from North Carolina are coming up here and it [expanding gambling] could help us,” Thompson said. “If someone has a gambling problem, they’re going to go wherever anyhow.”

When asked why she thinks North Carolina lawmakers are reluctant to expand gambling opportunities, Thompson said the state is “very conservative.”

“Keep the money in North Carolina,” Thompson said. “We go on cruises and everything else to gamble.”

More casinos in NC?

In July 2023, the Associated Press reported that a conservative group called Greater Carolina released a study by Spectrum Gaming that looked at the potential of North Carolina adding three more casinos. A study by the group found an estimated “casino leakage to Virginia” of about $259 million annually in gross gaming revenue.

Senate leader Phil Berger has been a staunch advocate for expanding casinos in North Carolina, but the effort has stalled. Berger has said legalizing casinos statewide could prevent neighboring states from taking away potential revenue from North Carolina. The casino in Danville is about 25 miles from Berger’s hometown of Eden.

It’s unclear if North Carolina’s General Assembly will advocate for the issue in the upcoming 2025 session.

North Carolina currently has three casinos, all operated by two American Indian tribes.