Bristol Casino reports record December
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BRISTOL, Va. — The Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock, registered its most lucrative single month of operations during December with nearly $15 million in adjusted gross revenues.
The Virginia Lottery released those and other figures Friday, marking the first six months of casino gaming at Virginia’s first casino, the temporary facility at the former Bristol Mall.
“We are pleased with the December revenue results,” said Allie Evangelista, President of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. “These positive numbers show the strong and growing, interest in the temporary casino. It’s also a testament to the appeal of our brand and the exceptional job our team members do in creating a welcoming and hospitable environment for our guests.”
Since July the Bristol Casino has reported nearly $82 million in adjusted gross revenues, or wagers minus winnings. That pace remains ahead of previous state projections for the full Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, which is expected to open in summer 2024.
December’s revenue results represent a 17.5% increase over the month of November.
The majority of that increase came on the casino’s 870 slots, which registered $12.13 million in gross revenues, eclipsing the previous one-month record of $11.44 million in August.
The casino’s table games reported $2.74 million in gross revenues, a 22% increase over November activity.
Virginia law assesses a graduated tax on a casino’s revenues and the 18% tax assessment generated nearly $2.7 million in taxes paid to the Gaming Proceeds Fund for the month’s activity.
That includes another $892,000 to the Regional Improvement Commission, which will dispense the initial round of funds evenly among 14 Southwest Virginia localities later this year. Thus far more than $4.91 million has been generated for that fund, or about $351,000 for each locality.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth, Virginia’s second casino, is now expected to open Jan. 23 rather than Jan. 15. Operators said the delay was to give them more time to test and verify new gaming equipment. The Portsmouth casino is expected to have 1,448 slot machines, 57 table games and 24 poker tables.
