Norfolk’s long-awaited temporary casino opens Friday

The wait is nearly over: Norfolk’s first casino opens Friday inside a temporary gaming hall — a precursor to the future $750 million permanent resort and casino rising next door.

The Interim Gaming Hall, an industrial tentlike structure developed by Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, offers a first glimpse of what’s ahead. Though modest in scale, with 132 slot machines spread across a 3,600-square-foot gaming floor, its debut marks the first time casino play will be available in Norfolk after years of planning.

The gaming facility will operate daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Rows of machines light up with recognizable gaming titles such as Buffalo Ultimate Stampede, Dragon Link and the influencer-favorite Huff N’ Even More Puff.

“These are some of the most popular games in the country right now,” said casino spokesperson Jay Smith. “People know their games that they like.”

The temporary facility has a total footprint of 7,200 square feet, including back-of-house operations. The capacity for the gaming floor will hover around 100 players at a time, ensuring the floor remains active without being overpacked and with no open machines.

Beyond gaming, Bailey said the Interim Gaming Hall also features the state’s first alcohol vending machine. The machine utilizes both photo ID and artificial intelligence identification to verify that users are over 21.

“It’s more accurate than a human, as far as making sure we don’t overserve people,” he said of the vending machine. “It can’t overserve. … Hopefully, that machine gets utilized and authorized in other places across the commonwealth, because it’s just a cool piece of equipment [and] technology.”

Outside, a partnership with Norfolk’s Ghost Kitchen food truck — known for its smash burgers — keeps guests well-fed. The operation will serve visitors throughout the two-year interim run.

An emerging market

As someone who has worked in the gaming industry for 25 years, Bailey notes that there are “very few new gaming markets in the U.S.,” making Virginia’s recent venture into the industry unique. There are currently only three casinos operating in Virginia — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and Danville’s Caesars Virginia. Norfolk will mark the fourth casino to open in Virginia, to be followed by a $1.4 billion Petersburg casino that broke ground in March.

It’s a lucrative space, with Virginia’s three operating casinos jointly generating $73 million in monthly revenue for September.

Bailey hopes to acclimate the state’s residents to the gaming experience.

“There’s a lot of people who’ve never even stepped foot into a casino before,” he said. “And so for us, it’s about creating a casino experience for them that’s going to make them feel comfortable, make them feel valued, and treat them like an individual as they should be, and make them want to come back and enjoy their time when they’re gaming.”

No table games will be offered at the Interim Gaming Hall. But that will change when the full-scale, currently unnamed, permanent resort opens in 2027.

Expected to create 850 jobs, the resort — a joint venture between Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe — will have a 65,000-square-foot casino, a 200-room hotel, eight food and beverage outlets, and a 45,000-square-foot outdoor deck. It will also include 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games, as well as 13,000 square feet of meeting space and 4,000 square feet of spa and gym space. The operators expect to announce its branding next year, according to a news release.

However, before the permanent casino opens, the temporary site will lay the groundwork for introducing the market to the Boyd brand.

“We’ve hired about 84 team members, and we’re still hiring,” Bailey said.

While the temporary site is slated to open officially on Friday, an invitation-only event was held on Wednesday, offering some Boyd’s gaming reward members to play. All revenue from the invitation-only event and the first day of opening will be donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.

It’s been a long road for the casino to become a reality. The casino was approved by Norfolk voters in fall 2020, but construction was delayed due to conflicts over design plans between Norfolk City Council and the developers. An earlier partnership between the Pamunkey tribe and Tennessee investor Jon Yarbrough ended last year, and Boyd Gaming entered the picture. At that time, Boyd and the tribe scrapped the casino’s previously announced branding as the HeadWaters Resort & Casino.

Construction began in February on both the temporary and permanent structures. Bailey notes there was “a lot of skepticism” about the casino opening in Norfolk and said he’s excited about Hampton Roads residents discovering that the casino is “really happening.”