JACKPOT: Local developers, Hard Rock International salute Bristol voters in referendum victory

At the infancy of a proposed casino project for Bristol, Virginia, real estate developer Jim McGlothlin called it moonshot moment for a city struggling financially.

McGlothlin, fellow developer Clyde Stacy, and Hard Rock International officials received a resounding answer of yes from 71 percent of referendum voters. A collective of area churches launched an anti-casino campaign in the weeks leading up to the vote, calling the project ‘fools gold.’

Hard Rock Chairman Jim Allen said in a prepared statement that his organization was grateful for the support of majority voters and called the win beneficial for the city and the region.

Bristol will claim millions in tax revenue once the casino, resort, and amphitheater are completed along with an injection of jobs for a community whose unemployment rate was at 15 percent in April due to the pandemic.

More than 2,000 jobs have been projected by Hard Rock which also has 12 other casino resorts in North and South America along with annual revenues of up to $21 million.

McGlothlin noted in the response that he looks forward to working with the Virginia Lottery during the licensing and permitting process in the months ahead.

(IMAGE: SuperTalk Archives)