A bend in the river
An out-of-town trip to visit colleges with her daughter gave Christie Wall an idea that several years later she hopes will benefit her and her hometown. For fun, Wall and her daughter tried out an escape room — an interactive adventure game that requires participants to solve a themed puzzle or challenge in order to […]
Saving the day
Running from police, an unremarkable bad guy with sandy hair suddenly grabs a little girl and dangles the young hostage from the third floor of a mall atrium. As a gaggle of nonplused bad guys decked out in ’80s pastels and John Oates mustaches look on, the skylight above shatters. It’s Wonder Woman, swooping into […]
Richmond cuts three of six casino proposals
Updated, March 25 The city of Richmond has rejected three of its six casino proposals. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos and Wind Creek Hospitality are no longer in the running, the city confirmed Wednesday night. In late February, the city announced that six casino projects had been submitted for consideration. Still […]
Pamunkey tribe hires EVP of gaming, resort operations
The Pamunkey Indian Tribal Gaming Authority, a non-corporate entity owned by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, announced Thursday that Rodney Ferguson has been hired as executive vice president of gaming and resort operations, effective April 12. He also will serve in a senior leadership role at the tribe’s forthcoming Norfolk casino resort. Ferguson was most recently […]
UPDATED: Golden Nugget, Wind Creek enter proposals to build Richmond casino
Updated 3 p.m., Feb. 24 Joining at least four other groups competing to be chosen as Richmond’s choice for a casino operator, bids from two other casino companies were made public Wednesday. Houston-based Golden Nugget Hotels & Casinos has proposed a $400 million casino project about six miles from downtown, and Wind Creek Hospitality, affiliated […]
UPDATED: Richmond now has six major casino proposals
Updated Feb. 26 The city of Richmond is now considering six casino proposals, the mayor’s office announced Friday. Monday afternoon was the city’s deadline for its request for proposals, and all six submitted were deemed eligible. Starting next month, Richmond will hold public meetings with opportunities for citizen input. In addition to the Pamunkey Indian […]
Rush Street Gaming announces general contractor for Portsmouth casino
Rush Street Gaming, the developer and gaming operator for the upcoming $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth, announced Friday it has chosen a joint venture between Virginia Beach-based S.B. Ballard Construction Co. and Philadelphia, Mississippi-based Yates Construction as the resort casino’s general contractor. Ballard and Yates will construct the 400,000-square-foot casino, which will incl[...]
Richmond city government solicits proposals for resort casino
Richmond has issued a request for qualifications/proposals, the first step in launching a competitive process for bringing a resort casino to the state capital, subject to voter approval. Earlier this year, Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation allowing five economically challenged cities — including Richmond — to open casinos. Voters in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth […]
Caesars delivers $15 million payment to city of Danville
Danville city officials accepted a $15 million initial payment from Caesars Entertainment Inc. on Wednesday, the first installment of $20 million the company pledged to pay the city after receiving approval from city voters to build a $400 million casino and resort in Danville’s Schoolfield area by 2023. Las Vegas-based Caesars promised an up-front payment […]
Richmond to select casino operator, site in summer 2021
The city of Richmond intends to select a resort casino site and operator in summer 2021, according to an announcement from Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney released Tuesday. The Virginia General Assembly earlier this year passed a law authorizing resort casinos to operate in each of five economically challenged cities, including Richmond. For the project to […]
Baskervill, HKS to lead Norfolk casino design, architecture
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe announced Thursday that Dallas, Texas-based HKS and Richmond-based Baskervill will serve as the architecture team for the tribe’s planned $500 million Norfolk Resort & Casino if city voters approve a Nov. 3 local referendum approving the casino development. Backed by Tennessee billionaire investor Jon Yarbrough, the casino and resort will include […]
Caesars officially signs on to develop Danville casino
By signing a legally binding development agreement Thursday for a resort casino at the former Dan River Mills industrial complex in Schoolfield, Caesars Entertainment Corp. has guaranteed a minimum of $5 million in gaming tax revenue each year the casino is in operation. Voters will decide in November whether the project will move forward. “Caesars […]