Roanoke Accepts $75,000 From Casino Developer in Virginia Gaming Pursuit
Posted on: February 5, 2026, 07:57h.
Last updated on: February 5, 2026, 09:51h.
- Roanoke has received a $75,000 gift from an unnamed casino developer
- The Virginia city continues to mull a casino effort on the state level
The City of Roanoke in southwest Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains has accepted a $75,000 gift from an unnamed casino developer. What the money will be spent on isn’t being publicly disclosed.
The $75,000 payment, city finance records show, was received on Jan. 27. The contribution came from the casino developer that the Roanoke City Council signed a nondisclosure agreement with late last year.
The Roanoke Rambler reports that city spokesperson Carol Corbin said the $75,000 would not be spent on the city’s lobbying contract with Two Capitals Consulting, the firm Roanoke hired in December at a rate of $6,000 a month to lobby state lawmakers to get behind the proposal to renovate the Berglund Center into a casino resort.
Corbin said the NDA prevents the city from detailing what the $75,000 will be spent on. Mayor Joe Cobb, however, said the “money can be used at our discretion,” with examples being a gaming market study and a marketing campaign to rally up support for a casino.
Roanoke Casino Odds Long
A majority of the Roanoke City Council favors pushing the state for the opportunity to consider a casino development at the city-owned multipurpose arena that’s in need of repairs and upgrades.
State lawmakers and Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) would first need to pass and sign legislation to designate Roanoke as a possible casino host city. From there, the city would need to pick a casino developer and present the project to voters through a local referendum.
If the ballot question gains majority support, the Virginia Lottery Board, which regulates casino gambling in the commonwealth, would be able to grant the Roanoke casino a gaming license.
As Casino.org has reported, the odds aren’t good that Roanoke will become a designated casino city in 2026. To date, no state lawmaker in the region or anywhere else in the state has gotten on board with championing a Roanoke casino bill in Richmond.
Lawmakers seem more intent on bringing a casino to Northern Virginia, possibly in the affluent Tysons area in Fairfax County.
Long-Term Focus
Speaking with CBS7, Cobb said he acknowledges that 2026 might not be the legislative year for Roanoke’s casino.
“I’m not aware that we have a patron for this, so that’s always a first important step. But again, that’s where the relational work goes in. There might be options for a patron to take this on in a subsequent year. Some of these processes take multiple years to happen,” Cobb said.
Whether there’s momentum in this session, whether we need to pause the work with the lobbyist… Lobbyists do important work related to building relationships and building on ideas. To get broad-based support in the General Assembly, we need people to advocate for us,” Cobb explained.
Since Virginia’s original gaming bill in 2020, only Petersburg has been subsequently added. The city was earmarked for a casino after voters in Richmond twice rejected a casino referendum.
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