Boyd Gaming Gifts $1 Million to Norfolk State University Amid Casino Construction
Posted on: May 12, 2025, 09:14h.
Last updated on: May 12, 2025, 09:54h.
- Boyd Gaming has donated $1 million to Norfolk State University
- The gift establishes the Boyd Gaming Department of Tourism & Hospitality Management
- Boyd’s Norfolk casino resort is a $750 million investment
Boyd Gaming is building a $750 million casino resort in Norfolk, Va. along the Elizabeth River. The destination is to provide the Virginia city with much-needed tax revenue and 850 permanent jobs, a local economic impact of $2.9 billion over the first 10 years of operation, and a slew of community benefits like contributions to the city’s state university.
Las Vegas-based Boyd became the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s Norfolk casino development partner in September 2024. The long-stalled project, authorized by city voters through a local referendum in November 2020, held a ceremonial groundbreaking last October where Boyd announced a $100K gift to Norfolk State University. Boyd is further contributing to the historically black public institution.
On Friday, Boyd Gaming pledged $1 million to NSU to establish the Boyd Gaming Department of Tourism & Hospitality Management.
Since we broke ground on our Norfolk casino resort project last year, Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Tribe have been committed to building a mutually beneficial partnership with our neighbors at Norfolk State University,” said Ron Bailey, vice president and general manager of the Norfolk casino. “We are honored today to further expand our partnership with our $1 million pledge. We look forward to working closely with our friends and partners at NSU in the years ahead as we build a best-in-class team and create exciting career opportunities for Norfolk State graduates at our resort.”
Norfolk State currently offers a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality management through its School of Business. The NSU website says the fully online program “uses theory-based instruction and practical experience” to educate and train students for management roles in global hospitality.
Norfolk Casino
Boyd Gaming is bankrolling the $750 million casino investment in conjunction with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which officials in Norfolk picked as its gaming developer after state legislation authorized the Hampton Roads city for a casino. At the time, the tribe was in the early stages of developing a tribal casino on its sovereign land roughly 60 miles north of Norfolk in King William County with billionaire Jon Yarbrough.
Yarbrough sold his stake in the Norfolk casino to Boyd for an undisclosed sum. Boyd and the tribe say the forthcoming, to-be-named casino will feature a 200-room hotel, eight restaurants and bars, a spa and gym, 13K square feet of meeting space, a 45K-square-foot rooftop deck, a 1,000-spot parking garage, and a casino floor with 1,500 slot machines, 50 live dealer table games, and a sportsbook.
The average annual pay for the resort’s 850 permanent employees will be almost $69K — higher than the median household income of $64K in the city. Boyd says it will give hiring preference to women, minorities, and veterans. Locally owned businesses and services will be prioritized for vendor needs.
The permanent casino is slated to open in late 2027. A provisional, temporary gaming space is expected to open by the end of 2025.
Old Dominion, Tidewater Benefit
Boyd Gaming’s $1 million pledge to Norfolk State follows $50K grants to Old Dominion University and Tidewater Community College. Tidewater has a campus in Norfolk but also a Portsmouth location that neighbors Rivers Casino.
Bailey said the $50K grants are to support the schools in fostering skilled workers ready to provide exceptional service to the Norfolk casino’s future guests.
“It is so important for us to work with local colleges and universities to ensure our workforce is ready to deliver a truly best-in-class experience when we open,” Bailey said.
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