Las Vegas giant Caesars Entertainment has been selected by city officials in Danville to build a new casino resort. The resort will be contingent upon the voters greenlighting its development during a ballot referendum in November.

Official notification released

Danville City Council received proposals from seven developers before they started negotiating with Caesars on May 18. The official announcement was made this week when the council voted 8-0 in favor of the deal. If the November ballot accepts the casino, then Caesars will be working on the 85-acre property in Schoolfield owned by former Dan River Inc. This national historic site once hosted two textile mill compounds between the 1880s and 1910s. Schoolfield remained an independent town founded by Dan River Inc. in 1903 but was ultimately annexed by the City of Danville in 1951.

Caesars is now eyeing a $400 million investment for building the casino resort. It will host a 500-room hotel, alongside a 35,000-square-foot conference centered. It will also have a 2,500-seat entertainment venue, a few bars, and restaurants. The gaming floor is expected to host over 2,000 slot machines, 16-table poker room, 75 table games, and a sportsbook lounge. The company expects to complete the project by 2023.

Voters will decide the fate of the casino

The voters of Danville will decide the fate of the casino during the November 3 ballot. They will be asked if they want to build a casino in their town. The decision will be taken with a simple majority. According to the City Council, the new casino could create over 900 construction jobs and 1,300 permanent full-time jobs in the city. The average pay at these jobs could be between $35,000 and $47,000 per year. The median household income of the city is $43,797 while the median household expenditure is $48,700.

In April, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation that would allow five towns in the state to bring a casino to their regions. This includes Bristol, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Richmond, and Danville. Bristol is planning a casino with Hard Rock while Portsmouth is working on a partnership with Rush Street Gaming. Norfolk is working with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe for a waterfront commercial casino.