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.
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, 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 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, 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 on bringing back the legislation this year.
