Posted on: March 18, 2026, 08:43h.
Last updated on: March 18, 2026, 08:46h.
- Virginia casino revenue reached a new high in February
- The record gaming action comes as Virginia lawmakers seek additional gaming
- Gov. Spanberger is undecided on whether she’ll sign two gaming bills
Virginia’s five casinos reported record revenue in February, with players losing $95.2 million to the houses.
The February gaming report was propped up by the temporary casino in Petersburg running for its first full month. Live! Casino Petersburg opened on Jan. 22 with more than 926 slot machines and 32 live dealer table games.
Live! Petersburg generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of $15 million in February. The Cordish Companies is operating the temporary casino in Petersburg as it builds the permanent $600 million Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia. The resort is slated to open in late 2027.
Virginia’s other temporary casino, The Interim Gaming Hall in Norfolk, a considerably smaller facility with only 132 gaming machines and no table games, opened last November. The Interim reported February GGR of $957K.
Boyd Gaming is underway with constructing a $750 million to-be-named permanent casino in Norfolk. Boyd is also targeting a 2027 opening.
Permanent Casinos Perform Well
It wasn’t only the interim casinos that helped push Virginia’s commercial casino industry to a new monthly high. The state’s three permanent casinos experienced significant gains in February.
Caesars Virginia in Danville reported February win of $31.8 million from the casino’s 1,497 slots and 94 tables. That marked a 2% year-over-year gain.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth was second at $26.4 million. The casino’s 1,420 and 84 tables increased GGR by 9% from the prior year. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol won $20.9 million on its 1,366 slots and 73 tables, a 6% gain on February 2025.
Combined, Virginia casino revenue of $95.15 million represented a 27% year-over-year surge.
Virginia Gaming Expansion
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) will soon decide whether more gaming comes to the commonwealth.
While lawmakers in Richmond folded on iGaming, they passed a bill to allow a commercial casino resort in Fairfax County. The General Assembly additionally embraced legislation to create a regulatory framework for slot-like skill games in small businesses.
Spanberger has previously expressed concern about authorizing additional gaming without the formation of a unified regulatory agency. Since Virginia legalized commercial casinos and sports betting, the state has tasked the Virginia Lottery Board with such governance.
Governor Spanberger is deeply concerned about any discussions of gaming expansion in Virginia without first establishing a single entity with clear authority, consistent standards, and strong compliance and enforcement capabilities,” Agriculture and Forestry Secretary Katie Frazier told the House General Laws Committee in February.
The Virginia skill game bill would place further regulatory burden on the Lottery Board, which would be responsible for the administration of up to 25,000 skill games and hundreds of host locations.
Skill game opponents say slot machines should stay inside casinos. Critics additionally claim that small businesses like restaurants, bars, and convenience stores are ill-equipped to ensure that underage people don’t access the games.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has asked Spanberger to veto the bill to designate Tysons for a casino.
