Hard Rock has decided to open its permanent Bristol, Virginia casino resort all at once in late fall 2024, rather than in phases starting in July. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Gamblers in southwest Virginia will need to wait a little while longer for a full-fledged casino resort experience. On Wednesday, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol announced that the grand opening of its permanent facility has been pushed to late fall.

Hard Rock’s temporary Bristol casino is in the former Bristol Mall; the permanent casino will be a much-expanded version at the same location. 600 constructions workers are on-site every day to build out the property, which will include a 303-room hotel, over 1,500 slot machines, and 75 table games.

The original plan was to open the permanent casino resort in phases starting next month, but Hard Rock said that it has decided that it likes the idea of “a fully operational casino and amenities for an overall better guest experience” better, hence the delay to late fall 2024.

time to ensure the finished product exceeds the expectations of our guests and the community”

“The response to our temporary casino has been overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating the excitement for Hard Rock’s permanent presence in Bristol,” said Allie Evangelista, president of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, in a press release. “While we are eager to unveil the new resort, this extension allows us time to ensure the finished product exceeds the expectations of our guests and the community.”

Virginia voters approved the construction of up to five casinos in 2020. Hard Rock Bristol was the first to open, launching the temporary casino in July 2022. Rivers Casino Portsmouth was next in January 2023, followed by Caesars’ temporary casino in Danville in May 2023. Headwaters Resort and Casino in Norfolk has been the works for years, but has stalled; future plans are up in the air. The fifth Virginia casino will likely be in Petersburg.