DANVILLE, Va. — On Thursday, Virginia Lottery released its casino gaming report for the month of May. The report revealed the gaming revenue that included the Danville Casino.
The city of Danville will collect over $700,000 of the total gaming revenue alone.
Danville officials are pleased with the reports and reveal its planned investments for the city.
"This includes improving education, helping to create new economic opportunities for our residents, economic development, neighborhood improvements, quality of life amenities, and financial stability," said City Manager Ken Larking. "These are the kinds of investments that will produce long-term sustainable benefits for our community.”
The temporary casino began taking bets in the middle of May. During the last two weeks of opening month, the casino brought in $12 million in gaming revenue.
Danville Mayor, Alonzo Jones says a group of citizens planned out where the money would go long before the temporary casino was built.
"Now that that spending is coming in, we can follow those recommendations from that group of citizens," said Jones.
Jones explained the money will go towards a few different areas, which include education, youth resources, and economic development.
Improving the learning environment for Danville public schools seems to be top of mind.
"The citizens in the community felt like we needed to do more with education, teachers' pay, the buildings in our community. The citizens voted yes to a referendum to upgrade out schools," Jones recalled.
Jones says the money will also go towards new splash pads and parks.
Deloris Smith takes her grandson to the park about once a week.
She says likes the idea of casino revenue going back to the kids.
"Places like this where the parents can come and watch their kids," she said.
For Smith, these funds are coming full circle. She spent much of her life working at the mill where the casino now sits.
"They closed down and that's where they built it, up there the casino. Everybody asked me if I've been there and I say nope, nope, I'm not going up there," explained Smith.
She says when the mill closed, she went elsewhere to find work. Now that the temporary casino is up and running, she says it could build the city back to what it once was.
Construction is still underway at the permanent casino which is set to open late next year.