After a solid February, Virginia’s three casinos combined for a record haul in March.
Casinos collected more than $65 million in adjusted gross revenue last month, smashing December’s previous all-time record of $58.5 million. Revenue in March outpaced February’s ($57.3 million) by 13%.
Tax revenue to the state came in at $11.7 million last month.
Rivers leads the way in March revenue
Casino players in Virginia have just three options to get their game on. There are casinos currently in Danville, Portsmouth and Bristol. Virginia online casinos are illegal. Plans to build a casino in Norfolk remain bogged down.
As it has throughout 2024, Rivers Casino Portsmouth led all Virginia casinos in March, according to the monthly report from the Virginia Lottery. Rivers brought in more than $27.7 million in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) during March. Over $19.5 million came from 1,462 slot machines and electronic games, and $8.2 million came from its 81 table games.
Caesars Virginia reported a little more than $21 million, with its 804 slot machines generating more than $16.4 million AGR and the rest from its 33 table games.
Hard Rock Bristol brought in nearly $16.3 million AGR, with $13 million coming from 911 slot machines and $3.3 million from 29 table games.
State coffers collect $7.7 million in March
From the $11.7 million in March tax revenue, around $3.9 million went to each of the host cities. Portsmouth received $1.66 million, Danville accepted more than $1.26 million and Bristol collected just over $976,000.
Additionally, $94,000 went to the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and $23,500 went to the Family and Children’s Trust Fund.
In the end, nearly $7.7 million went into the state’s Gaming Proceeds Fund.
Two more Virginia cities could host casinos in the future
Two more cities could join the trio as casino beneficiaries. Norfolk’s HeadWaters Casino plan remains in limbo, with city officials indicating they might look for a replacement partner to spearhead the project, according to reporting earlier this month from the Virginian-Pilot.
And Petersburg is nearing a vote on casino expansion. Legislators reconciled an amendment from Gov. Glenn Youngkin allowing for a November vote from Petersburg residents.
Then, of course, voters must approve it. Given that voters in nearby Richmond rejected efforts that preceded the capital city being removed from the list of eligible cities, there’s no guarantee that voters will approve it. That, however, did not stop Petersburg officials from hosting a town hall last Sunday to introduce the five interested operators to residents.
