Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia Tops Out as Petersburg Resort Targets Late 2027 Opening
Developers raise the final beam at the Petersburg project, projected to bring $2.8 billion in first-decade economic stimulus and open in late 2027.
The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise raised the final commemorative beam at Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia in Petersburg, marking a construction milestone ahead of the resort's scheduled opening in late 2027.
Developers project $2.8 billion in regional economic stimulus over the first decade, including $504 million in tax revenue, of which $240 million would go to Petersburg. Construction is expected to deliver $802 million in economic benefits, with another $201 million annually after opening.
The project is projected to support 7,700 jobs — 6,100 during construction and 1,600 permanent. More than 600 permanent employees, among them over 100 table game dealers, already work at the temporary Live! Casino Virginia, which opened on the same site in January 2026. The permanent resort is to add roughly 1,000 positions.
Located near Interstate 95 and Wagner Road, about 25 miles south of Richmond and 45 miles north of the North Carolina border, the property will contain over 445,000 square feet of gaming and hospitality space: more than 1,600 slot machines, over 70 table games, a 35-table poker room, a sportsbook, a 200-room hotel, a pool, spa and fitness center, a 70,000-square-foot event center, and 20 dining and beverage venues.
A contractor and vendor fair is scheduled for October 14 at the Petersburg Public Library, and the Richard Bland College Dealer Institute begins a free seven-week training program on November 16. The ceremony included a $15,929.82 donation to Lending Helping Hands through the casino's Change Maker program.
