Developers of the $1.4 billion Live! Casino resort in Petersburg will open a 75,000-square-foot temporary gaming facility next month, giving the region its first glimpse of the project slated to transform a 100-acre site on the city’s south side.
Cordish Cos. and Bruce Smith Enterprise plan to launch the venue on January 22, pending approval from the Virginia Lottery. The tent-style structure will feature about 900 slot machines, 30 table games, a bar and a quick-service restaurant, as reported by Richmond BizSense.
“We are going to be absolutely ready (for opening) from a training standpoint,” Cordish Gaming President Rob Norton said, adding, “By the end of this week, this casino will be fully functional.”
The temporary building will be razed once the permanent Live! Casino resort opens in 2027. Construction on the full complex began in March, with AnderCorp serving as contractor. The finished resort is expected to include more than 450,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,600 slot machines, a 22-table poker room, a 200-room hotel, extensive dining options, over 75,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and a 4,000-seat entertainment venue.
City officials project the development will deliver $2.8 billion in economic stimulus to the region and generate $240 million in tax revenue for Petersburg during its first decade of operations.
The temporary casino will support around 500 jobs, including roughly 100 dealers, with about 60% of positions already filled. Hiring is underway at a downtown recruitment center in a former Pepsi warehouse. Workforce training is also ramping up: Richard Bland College recently graduated its first cohort of 75 students from its new dealer-training institute. Live! Casino executives said some staff will transfer from other properties in the brand’s portfolio.
The permanent casino is expected to create more than 6,100 construction jobs and 1,400 permanent positions over its first ten years.
The project follows strong public backing. Eighty percent of Petersburg voters approved the casino referendum in 2024, the highest support recorded for such a vote in Virginia. The city became eligible after Richmond voters twice rejected a separate casino proposal, prompting the General Assembly in April to authorize Petersburg as a host locality. The City Council later selected Cordish as its development partner.
Live! Casino Virginia will become the brand’s fifth location, joining properties in Maryland, Louisiana and two in Pennsylvania.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/12/08/116668-petersburgs-live-casino-to-open-temporary-gaming-facility-on-jan-22
