With the inauguration of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, Southwest Virginia has welcomed a new entertainment destination. The resort, which offers a combination of gaming, eating, and live entertainment, is positioned close to the Tennessee border and is expected to draw tourists from both states.
An Ambitious Venture for Bristol
The 620,000-square-foot facility features 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, a sportsbook, and over 300 hotel rooms. Its entertainment lineup includes a venue with 2,000+ seats, multiple restaurants, and plans to open a poker room by early 2025. Hard Rock International COO Jon Lucas expressed enthusiasm, stating: “Hard Rock’s music heritage is a natural fit for Bristol, the ‘Birthplace of Country Music.’ We look forward to serving Bristol and the surrounding region with world-class gaming, dining and entertainment offerings.”
Hard Rock’s successful temporary casino in Bristol, which ran from July 2022 to November 2023, is being followed by this proposal. In addition to drawing more than 3 million tourists, it brought in $68 million for the state. Along with creating about 1,000 construction jobs, the casino expects to hire 1,400 full- and part-time employees.
In an effort to boost economic growth, the Virginia Assembly authorized casinos in five locations in 2019. In addition to Bristol, casinos are currently open in Portsmouth, and Danville and Petersburg are set to open soon. Virginia’s casino operations generated $272 million in taxes last year; as more venues open, this amount is anticipated to increase.
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