The group behind the Norfolk casino will spend $750 million to develop the project, Boyd Gaming president and CEO Keith Smith said Wednesday after a ceremonial groundbreaking next to Harbor Park.
It’s the first time in years that anyone’s talked about the project costing anywhere near that much.
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s original 2018 pitch was for a soaring $700 million glass tower hotel and casino, but that was before the state legalized casinos in certain cities and competitors popped up.
The project was scaled back over the years. Just six weeks ago, as the city council approved Boyd’s entry into the project, the company said it would spend somewhere around $500 million.