Roanoke Virginia Has Casino Developer Ready to Bet on Resort Development
Posted on: December 4, 2025, 11:25h.
Last updated on: December 4, 2025, 11:30h.
- Roanoke has a casino developer interested
- The city’s local government is considering a gaming effort
- State lawmakers would need to allow a casino in Roanoke
Roanoke’s local government has made it clear that a casino resort would be a winning bet for the region and a casino developer has already shown its hand of interest.
On Monday, the Roanoke City Council approved its legislative priorities on what sort of measures it would like to see pass in the Virginia State Capitol next year. While designating the Star City for a casino license was considered, the gaming motion was ultimately left out.
However, the Roanoke Rambler reports that the city council isn’t folding on its wishes to bring slot machines to its Berglund Special Events Center but simply taking a new route. Mayor Joe Cobb, a member of the city council, told the hyperlocal online news site that the casino will be pursued through a “different path.”
The majority of the council supports moving forward [the casino],” Cobb said.
The Roanoke City Council doesn’t possess the authority to allow a casino within its city. Only the General Assembly in Richmond can pass a statute to permit Roanoke to conduct a local ballot referendum asking voters to back a casino project.
Backroom Casino Dealings
Cobb conceded to the Roanoke Rambler that city officials have signed a nondisclosure agreement with a casino developer to further the discussion, and, presumably, ready a state lobbying campaign. To date, Roanoke’s delegation of state lawmakers has expressed an unwillingness to champion a casino bill to qualify Roanoke for casino privileges, along with Norfolk, Portsmouth, Bristol, Danville, and Petersburg.
The city council wants to transform the Berglund Center into an entertainment district anchored by a casino.
City officials, because of the NDA, are mum on the name of the city’s preferred casino developer. Companies that previously sought entry into Virginia but were unsuccessful include Churchill Downs, Bally’s Corporation, and Golden Nugget.
A front-runner, however, could be Cordish, which only secured entry into Virginia last year via Petersburg. Baltimore-based Cordish has long been bullish on Virginia, and establishing a casino in Roanoke would expand and solidify its gaming footprint in Central Virginia and Southwest Virginia.
Two of the seven councilors, Vice Mayor Terry McGuire and Nicolas Hagen, have publicly opposed the gaming idea. However, only a simple majority of the Roanoke City Council would need to vote in favor of placing a casino question before voters should the state allow it.
Cobb, a former pastor and current chaplain, says a casino would help make Roanoke an entertainment powerhouse. There is ample room at the Berglund Center, as the city-owned all-purpose arena is surrounded by almost 15 acres of paved parking lots.
Casino Market Likely on Hold
While talks to allow casinos in Northern Virginia’s Fairfax County and in the City of Winchester are expected next year, Virginia’s 2020 gaming bill called for the issuance of up to five licenses. While Petersburg wasn’t initially designated, with the General Assembly relocating the initially intended license for Richmond after capital city voters twice rejected a casino referendum, to date, no other bill has passed to qualify another city for gaming.
Along with Roanoke’s own state delegation, opposition against a casino bill for the city would presumably come from Hard Rock International and Caesars Entertainment, which jointly have invested more than $1 billion in building casino resorts in Bristol and Danville.
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