Wind Creek Chicago Southland casino to open Nov. 11

Wind Creek Hospitality is pleased to announce the highly anticipated opening of Wind Creek Chicago Southland on Nov. 11, with doors opening to the public at approximately 11:00 a.m. The Chicago Southland location will be a state-of-the-art casino representing the first step toward delivering a full-scale integrated resort experience, scheduled for completion in spring 2025.

Spanning an impressive 70,000 square feet, Wind Creek Chicago Southland features over 1,400 slot machines, 56 table games, high-limit slot areas, a high-limit table games salon, a poker room, a dynamic sportsbook and 4 "Hidden Gems" throughout the casino floor–offering visitors a unique and customizable private gaming and event microenvironment.

Wind Creek Chicago Southland is expected to create more than 1,000 full-time jobs in fields ranging from hospitality to technology. Roles will include security, gaming attendants, food service, IT technicians, and environmental services.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the Illinois Gaming Board visited the casino for two mandatory test days, which also included an extended invitation to family, friends and local dignitaries.

Wind Creek's partnership with Fabio Viviani Hospitality Group will also introduce an exceptional range of signature restaurants and food & beverage offerings to the highly anticipated property.

New $460 million Rose Gaming Resort opens on former landfill property

Virginia’s push for gambling expansion continued Thursday with the grand opening of The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries, Va., a $460 million investment built on a former landfill.

The grand opening on Thursday followed a “soft opening” of the facility on Oct. 23. Officials from the Town of Dumfries, Virginia Department of Agriculture, and the facility’s owner/operator, Churchill Downs, Inc., led the grand opening.

The Rose Gaming Resort is the largest gaming site in a network of eight Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in Virginia. The Emporiums are in Richmond, Collinsville, Emporia, Hampton, New Kent, Vinton, and Dumfries, Va.

The Rose

The new resort in Dumfries holds 1,650 historical horse racing (HHR) machines, not casino slot machines. HHR terminals look and feel like traditional casino slot machines but operate in a different way to determine a winning spin.

Gamblers visiting the new facility can try their luck playing HHR machines or wagering on live horse racing available via simulcast TVs. A new public park is under development as part of the resort, eight bars and restaurants are open, including the 1609 Steak House and Playbook Sports Bar and Grill.

A hotel with over 100 rooms is part of the resort but is currently unavailable. The grand opening event on Thursday was held in the resort’s parking garage which provides over 2,500 spaces.

Northern Virginia gaming destination

The resort’s General Manager Bobbi Sample said the aim is to make “The Rose” Northern Virginia's premier gaming destination. The new resort is a 30-minute drive from a MGM casino in National Harbor, Md. The MGM casino opened in December 2016 and offers 2,288 slot machines and 211 table games to visitors.

“We're proud to call Dumfries our home and to give back to this community that has so warmly embraced us,” Sample said at the grand opening.

Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs, said 500 employees currently work at The Rose resort.

“Many of them are new to our company, new to our culture, and they've just stepped up and done an amazing thing under pretty intense time pressures and construction issues,” Carstanjen said.

The new Rose Gaming Resort is owned and operated by Churchill Downs and Colonial Downs. Churchill Downs is best known for the Kentucky Derby. Known as the company’s crown jewel, the Kentucky Derby is 150 years old and the longest continually run sporting event in the United States.

Churchill Downs became the parent company of Colonial Downs in 2022. Before Churchill Downs was involved in the project, the Colonial Downs Group planned to open The Rose gaming floor in October 2023 and the hotel in January 2024. That didn’t happen.

Without the gaming resort open, the Town of Dumfries was unable to gain tax revenue. To contribute to the shortfall in tax revenue, Churchill Downs made a financial offer to the Town of Dumfries and increased the number of gaming machines in the facility.

The gambling resort is located on the side of the former Potomac Landfill bordered by Virginia Route 234 and Interstate 95.

“This hasn't been an easy project,” Carstanjen said. "This is a landfill. We're actually taking a landfill here and capping it, converting it into green space with the public park. So this is presented all kinds of technical problems, construction problems, all things that our team just plowed through to make this happen. When you build a project like this, you like a big flat piece of land and lots of open space to do things the way you want to do that, and that's not possible here in Northern Virginia.”

Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood called the new Rose facility the beginning of a new era for the town, an era of transformation and opportunity.

Proud achievement for Dumfries

“This is a transformation from a landfill to a landmark, an achievement we can all be proud of,” Wood said. The mayor hopes the new facility will draw visitors from across the region and beyond, “putting our town on the map as a destination place in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.”

“The millions in tax revenue generated is going to empower us as a town to reinvest in public service, to improve our infrastructure, and it has enhanced the quality of life for everyone who calls the Town of Dumfries home,” Wood added.

Democratic Virginia Del. Luke Torian thanked the Virginia General Assembly members who helped make The Rose facility possible.

“The Rose could have been built in Loudoun County. It could have been built in Fairfax County, but instead of going to Loudoun County or Fairfax, they came to a community of less than 6,000 residents, a small town with big vision,” Torian said during the grand opening.

The event ended with a ceremonial ribbon cutting that officially opened The Rose Gaming Resort.

VIP Play to upgrade ZenSports sportsbook with Kambi Group technology

VIP Play, Inc., an innovative mobile gambling operator within the U.S. online gambling market, has signed a multi-year agreement with the Kambi Group to power their sportsbook growth in Tennessee and in future markets.

VIP Play, Inc. (formerly known as KeyStar Corp.) acquired the assets of the ZenSports platform in 2022 and has operated in Tennessee as ZenSports since July 2023. VIP Play, Inc. boasts an innovative understanding of sports wagering and expects to use the Kambi Turnkey Sportsbook and its proprietary technology to build an entirely customized version of the Kambi platform compared to what is available in the industry today.

Under the terms of the agreement, VIP Play, Inc. will upgrade its current mobile sportsbook offering by leveraging Kambi's cutting-edge Turnkey Sportsbook solution, which is proven to deliver speed, stability, and flexibility in highly competitive markets across the globe. VIP Play, Inc. aims to utilize Kambi's comprehensive sportsbook solution to create a premium, customer-centric experience by delivering an interactive front end inclusive of market-leading customer acquisition tools. VIP Play, Inc. will also offer iCasino services in permitted U.S. states.

Bruce Cassidy, VIP Play, Inc. CEO & Chairman of the Board, said: "This partnership with Kambi is a pivotal step for VIP Play, Inc. as we work towards establishing a premier sportsbook presence in the U.S. Kambi's market-leading technology, and our internal ability to build proprietary technology on top of the Kambi platform, will enable us to deliver a first-class, interactive sports betting experience and a mutually beneficial partnership for years to come."

Werner Becher, Kambi Group CEO, said: "We are excited to welcome VIP Play, Inc. to the Kambi network as they adopt our trusted Turnkey Sportsbook solution. They have ambitious growth goals, and we look forward to supporting these efforts with Kambi's market-leading sportsbook technology and services. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to empowering operators focused on creating innovative, customer-centered experiences."

Virginia voters say yes to casino in City of Petersburg

A referendum to permit a casino in the City of Petersburg passed as part of Virginia’s election results on Tuesday.

Over 10,000 voters said yes (81.53%) to allow a casino in the city while over 2,000 said no (18.47%). The casino was first offered to Richmond in 2021 and again in 2023. Both referendums failed to pass in the state capital.

The referendum passed on Tuesday overwhelmingly in all seven wards of Petersburg. Ward 4 provided the least support for the casino with 78% saying yes.

From Richmond to Petersburg

Peterburg became an eligible host city for a casino on July 1 after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation approving the change. This was after Richmond voters rejected the idea twice.

Development of the $1.4 billion mixed-use gaming entertainment resort, named Live! Casino and Hotel Virginia, will be managed by Baltimore-based The Cordish Companies.

The Cordish Companies is a gaming and real estate development company that has developed locations such as Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood and Tampa, Fla., Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, Live! Casino & Hotel Pittsburgh, and Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.

Following the victory on Tuesday, Zed Smith, chief operating officer of The Cordish Companies, said, “This community has waited a long time for an economic development project of this size and scale, which will provide a huge boost for the city and the entire region.”

Cordish says the project will create thousands of jobs, increase tourism, and generate billions in economic benefits to the city and surrounding area.  The project site is ideally situated at the intersection of Wagner Road and Interstate I-95 with easy access on and off the East Coast’s major north-south interstate.

Upon completion, the resort will feature more than 400,000 square feet of gaming, hotel, and dining space, 35,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, an upscale 200-room hotel featuring 20 suites, a resort pool and fitness center, 1,600 slot machines, 46 table games, including a 15-table poker room, sportsbook, a 3,000-seat entertainment venue, as well as for meetings, conventions, and social gatherings, and eight food and entertainment options.

Plans for the proposed project include quickly opening a first-phase casino within a year of all applicable approvals to begin creating jobs. The casino would be built on a 92.5-acre development site located off Interstate 95 at Wagner Road along Brassfield Parkway.

Current Virginia Casinos

Two temporary and one permanent casino are currently open in Virginia. The temporary Bristol Casino opened in July 2022 followed by Rivers Casino Portsmouth in January 2023 as Virginia’s first permanent location. A second temporary location, Danville Casino, opened in May 2023.

Bristol Casino will become Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol following its grand opening on Nov. 14. In December, Danville Casino will expand to become a full resort known as Caesars Virginia. But the Commonwealth isn’t done yet.

Norfolk Casino

Last month, the City of Norfolk, along with Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe held a groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction on a $750 million casino resort in Norfolk.

Robert Gray, Chief of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe told the audience they are ready to embark on a project that will make them more resilient and uplift the Norfolk community. The tribe first proposed a casino in Norfolk in 2018.

“We pursued opening a casino as a way to take control of our destiny, provide our own opportunities while also uplifting the community around us. And that's exactly what we intend to do,” Gray said.

The casino project, once titled HeadWaters Resort & Casino, was delayed several times due to design changes and disagreements between the tribe and city officials. Gray said those challenges “have nearly strengthened our relationship and our shared commitment bringing a best-in-market casino resort to Norfolk.”

Speaking at the groundbreaking, City of Norfolk Major Kenneth Alexander told attendees the casino project is the largest private investment in the city’s history.

“This project approved in 2020 by the voters, symbolizes the confidence in our city's future, not only as the epicenter, but more importantly, as the hub of economic activity and cultural significance in Hampton Roads, in partnership with Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian tribe,” Alexander said.

The Norfolk Casino will feature a 200-room hotel, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, a casino floor big enough to accommodate 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games, eight restaurants and bars, a Spa Fitness Center, and more.

Alexander said the casino will generate $510 million in local economic impact during construction, 2,850 temporary jobs and $173 million in wages, $2.9 billion in economic impact upon completion, 850 permanent jobs, and $583 million in local wages.

Current plans call for a temporary casino to be up and running in October 2025 with the full resort complex following in October 2027. The casino will be located between the city’s Harbor Park baseball stadium and Amtrak Station at 200 Park Ave.

IT issue closes all Saratoga Casino Holdings locations

All Saratoga Casino Holdings (SCH) gaming properties are currently closed due to a computer issue, according to news reports.

Saratoga's Magnolia Bluffs Casino reported Friday they were experiencing IT issues. “We are working diligently to resolve the problem,” the casino said in a post on Facebook. “We will reopen as soon as possible.”

Located in Natchez, Miss., on the Mississippi River, Magnolia Bluffs Casino remained closed throughout the weekend.

“Magnolia Bluffs Casino will remain closed Sunday, November 3,” the company said in an update. “We will continue to update you as progress is being made to resolve the issue.” SCH acquired Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel from Casino Holding Investment Partners, LLC in October 2022.

Tim Morrissey, General Manager of Saratoga Casino Black Hawk, assumed the position of General Manager of Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel following the Saratoga acquisition in 2022. Morrissey was charged with overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations at the property to ensure the company continues to prosper and remains an integral part of the Natchez community.

SCH also owns Saratoga Casino Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Black Hawk, Colo. Both locations are also closed due to IT issues.

Saratoga Casino Black Hawk said on Facebook they will remain closed through Monday, November 4. “Our IT team has made progress on resolving the issue and we hope to open as soon as possible. We will continue to update you as progress is made and we hope to see you soon. Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

SCH is a family-owned and operated business.