'Caesars Virginia' opens 2 hours from Charlotte
The casino features a spa, pool, upscale bars, lounges and a Gordon Ramsay restaurant.
The following article appeared in the December 16, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Vegas on the Dan River: New ‘Caesars Virginia’ opens this week, becoming the closest resort casino to Charlotte
The new Caesars Virginia opens in Danville, Va., on Dec. 17. (Rendering courtesy of Caesars Virginia)
A new casino operated by Caesars Entertainment is opening this week in Danville, Va., and it will be the closest resort casino to Charlotte.
Called “Caesars Virginia,” the $750M casino complex will open Tuesday at noon following a parade of race cars through the town of Danville led by former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
It is being billed as “Roman luxury meets Southern charm” and will have a full-service spa, pool, upscale bars and lounges and a restaurant from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. The casino also has plenty of gambling options, including slots, live table games and a sportsbook. Photos from local publications of the construction show ornate statues, Doric columns, crystal chandeliers and celestial murals.
Danville, a former textile mill town north of Greensboro, is about a 2-hour drive from Charlotte, so the opening of Caesars Virginia will dethrone Harrah’s Cherokee Casino as the closest resort casino to Charlotte. The N.C. town of Cherokee is about a 3-hour drive from Charlotte. Both are operated in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
There’s also the Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, about 40 minutes west of Charlotte, but it is in a temporary facility with no resort amenities.
Room rates at Caesars Virginia in January start at $299 mid-week and can start as high as $799 on weekends.
Danville officials have touted the benefits of the casino, such as millions in new tax revenue, jobs for 1,200 people and increased tourism. Fearful of money going over the state line into Virginia, North Carolina’s legislature briefly considered legalizing casinos in a handful of rural areas in 2023, but the proposal went nowhere. —Tony Mecia
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman