Caesars delays Danville casino’s opening by 5 days

The $750 million Caesars Virginia resort in Danville will host grand opening festivities on Dec. 17 instead of Dec. 12 as previously announced, Nevada’s Caesars Entertainment announced Friday afternoon.

On hand will be retired Chicago Bulls basketball star and five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman, who will lead a parade of race cars supplied by Virginia International Raceway, Kaizen Autosport and Foreign Cars Italia. The parade will kick off at 10:15 a.m., beginning at the corner of Main and Craghead Street and ending at Caesars Virginia, according to Friday’s announcement.

“We know that there is tremendous excitement for our grand opening, and we appreciate everyone’s patience with this short delay,” Chris Albrecht, senior vice president and general manager of Caesars Virginia, said in a statement. “The team has been working around the clock to officially open the doors of Caesars Virginia, and we cannot wait to begin welcoming guests on Dec. 17.” 

When asked whether the opening date had been pushed back due to construction not being completed or another reason, Fatima Osborne, public relations and social media specialist for Caesars Virginia, did not specify a cause, “just delay overall.”

The 63-year-old Rodman was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team seven times and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Before joining the legendary 1990s Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan, Rodman played forward for the Detroit Pistons from 1986 to 1993. Away from the basketball court, he attracted international attention for his visits to North Korea and his friendship with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.

Caesars Entertainment and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians executives will offer remarks with community leaders at 11 a.m. at the resort’s main entrance. Doors to the resort casino officially open at noon. Rodman will make a “ceremonial first bet” in Caesars Sportsbook.

At 8 p.m. visitors can enjoy a firework and drone show that will light the sky above the resort and Danville’s historic Three Sisters smokestacks beginning at 8 p.m.

Last month, Caesars announced guests could begin booking room reservations at the Danville resort and casino for stays beginning Dec. 13. A message to Caesars Virginia asking whether the resort will honor reservations for the days prior to the new opening date was not immediately returned Friday.

A $750 million, 587,000-square-foot casino and resort hotel in Danville’s Schoolfield neighborhood, the permanent casino will replace the temporary Caesars casino that opened nearby in May 2023. The new casino — which will be the state’s third permanent casino and the most expensive yet — will have more than 90,000 square feet of gaming space with 1,500 slot machines, 79 live-action table games, 48 electronic table games, a poker room and sportsbook. The resort will have a 320-room hotel and a full-service spa and pool. A 50,000-square-foot meeting and convention space will serve double duty as a 2,500-seat entertainment venue.

An array of restaurants and bars will be located at the casino resort including celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant, Ramsay’s Kitchen.

A temporary casino opened in Danville in May 2023. It has paid more than $66 million to the city and state in gaming taxes since then, according to Caesars Virginia, which is owned by Caesars Entertainment and venture partners EBCI Holdings and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

About 69% of Danville voters voted in support of allowing casino gaming in 2020.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol opened its facility Nov. 14, making it the state’s first casino/resort combo.