Poker Writer
A new casino in Petersburg, Virginia, has failed to bring in the promised economic benefits in its early days, according to local business owners. Live! Casino Virginia opened a month ago on Jan. 22 in the small 35,000-person town 25 miles south of Richmond.
While the casino has had a successful opening month, drawing thousands of patrons, those crowds have not made their way to area businesses.
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Casino Voucher Partnership Not Achieving Goals So Far in Virginia
The lack of traffic to local businesses comes despite a casino rewards program that allows casino patrons to earn vouchers or comps to spend in the area.
There are about 15 businesses in the casino voucher program. From restaurants to vineyards, a bookshop and even an escape room. Some of those local Petersburg businesses involved include:
- Ashton Creek Vineyard
- Cool BeanZ Cafe
- Escape Old Towne
- Trapezium Brewing
One of the partnered business owners, Demetrius Frazier of Resist Booksellers, told local Petersburg news that communication around the voucher program hasn’t been great:
Maybe they haven’t gotten as much traction in the casino yet. Maybe they have some hiccups. But we haven’t heard any communication specifically stating that.
The officials at the casino itself paint a picture of success, saying the numbers have been “very, very strong.” They say that as many as 5,000 people visit the casino each day from across the East Coast.
The casino made $4.7 million in revenues within the first 10 days.
Casino officials remain confident that the economic benefit will come eventually and that it will just take time. The casino marketing team will track how customers use their comps at local businesses to determine how best to continue the partnerships.
Are Casino-Goers Willing to Leave the Property?
The vouchers are meant to spur casino visitors to visit the local Petersburg establishments. However, most casino-goers do so for gambling or on-site entertainment and want to maximize their time on property. That’s especially true for out-of-town visitors who may not know the local area of Petersburg.
The casino has a 24-hour restaurant offering several cuisines. Someone who is going to the casino specifically to gamble is far more likely to just grab a bite there than spend an hour or more leaving the casino to go eat.
Some of the partnered businesses are also a fair distance from the casino. For instance, Ashton Creek Vineyard is an 18-minute drive away.
Another factor is that the average age of the daily casino-goer is generally older. There may not be much overlap between some of the casino patrons and the target audience for a business such as an escape room.
Could Lack of Boost to Businesses Hurt Virginia iGaming Effort?
All of this comes as Virginia lawmakers engage in a heated battle over iGaming. Proponents are making progress after the most recent legalization bill narrowly passed both of the state’s legislative chambers last week.
However, if the brand-new retail casino in the state makes negative headlines, that could have a deleterious effect on iGaming. Opponents will have another easily accessible talking point to use if they can rightly say that gambling expansion isn’t delivering on its promises.
