Virginia Casinos Report $73M in September Revenue

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

September gaming revenues for Virginia’s three casinos totalled $73.08 million and represented a 29 percent year-over-year increase, according to recent data from the Virginia Lottery.

Records show monthly revenues from the Caesars Virginia casino in Danville (approximately $28.2 million), and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol ($20.58 million).

Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which opened as Virginia’s first permanent casino in January 2023, generated $17.64 million from its 1,422 slots and $6.65 million from its 84 table games, for a total of nearly $24.3 million in September.

For the month of September, taxes from casino adjusted gaming revenue (wagers minus winnings) AGRs totaled almost $15.78 million.

In September, Danville received 7 percent of Caesars Virginia’s AGR, amounting to $1.97 million. Portsmouth received 7 percent of the Rivers Casino Portsmouth‘s AGR, netting $1.7 million. For the Bristol casino, 6 percent of its adjusted gaming revenue — more than $1.23 million last month — goes to the Regional Improvement Commission, which the General Assembly established to distribute Bristol casino tax funds throughout Southwest Virginia.

The Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund receives 0.8 percent of total taxes — approximately $126,234 last month. The Family and Children’s Trust Fund, which funds family violence prevention and treatment programs, receives 0.2 percent of the monthly total, which was approximately $31,558 in September. The remaining $10.71 million in taxes goes to the state’s Gaming Proceeds Fund.

Two more casino openings are planned in Virginia.

Construction began in February on the $750 million Norfolk casino by development partners Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe in February. A temporary casino, dubbed The Interim Gaming Hall, is expected to open in November.

In November 2024, more than 80 percent of Petersburg voters approved a casino referendum. Baltimore-based The Cordish Cos. and Virginia Beach developer Bruce Smith Enterprise broke ground on the $1.4 billion casino in March.