Caesars Entertainment has officially started its “Caesars for Danville” referendum campaign.
On August 12th, the gambling operator revealed that the above-mentioned campaign will include a committee that would be co-chaired by Mayor Alonzo Jones, Del. Danny Marshall, the project’s minority investor Tammy Wright-Warren and the President of the Averett University, Tiffany Franks. The campaign is led by Tony Rodio, a strategic advisor.
As explained by Mr. Rodio at the beginning of the week, Caesars’ campaign would help to make the committee familiar with the Danville area, as it would help it get to know the community better.
The thing is that Caesars Entertainment hopes to be allowed to construct and operate a $400-million casino resort at Schoolfield. Now, the committee will be the one responsible for receiving and answering the questions that local community members may ask in regard to the proposed casino resort project. As explained by Mayor Jones, it would be able to take questions back to the gambling operator and act as a link between Caesars and citizens.
Mr. Rodio, on the other hand, shared that the gambling operator intends to use different ways to get local people on their side and encourage them to vote for the project. As he explained, the company would use not only traditional media, but also “a lot of social media”, as well as direct contact with people. Community members will also be provided with the opportunity to ask questions about the project.
Caesars Says a Danville Casino Could Bring the City Annual Revenue of $34 Million
Company officials revealed that in case the referendum on whether to permit a Danville casino to be constructed and operated passes in November Caesars Entertainment could be able to start the construction of a casino in Schoolfield by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
They further noted that the gambling operator’s plans for a Danville casino venue have not been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. As mentioned above, Caesars Entertainment is willing to invest over $400 million in the casino resort project, which will also create 900 construction jobs and 1,300 jobs upon completion.
For the time being, the existing casinos of the gambling company operate under the Caesars, Horseshoe and Harrah’s brands. The operator now aims at building a facility featuring 500 hotel rooms, a 2,500-seat live entertainment venue, bars and restaurants, a conference center situated on 35,000 square feet and a gambling venue with 75 table games, 16 poker tables, 2,000 slot machines and a sportsbook. The casino resort project is expected to be finalized in 2023.
According to preliminary expectations, the facility could bring Danville an annual revenue of about $34 million. However, the casino resort project is not welcome by everyone, with at least one local minister being against a Danville-based casino. Danny Campbell shared that in his opinion, the city and its residents would be the ones gaining benefits from other people’s losses in case a casino is established in Danville.
Still, officials of Caesars Entertainment claim that the city is a perfect community and location for a casino venue, and that the latter would bring a new life to Danville that has been making efforts to reinvent itself. A casino resort is expected to attract more visitors that would be beneficial for the city.
