Hiring efforts to staff the Bristol Casino are ongoing, but some workers who want to relocate here are struggling to find housing, Hard Rock Bristol President Allie Evangelista said Wednesday.

The Bristol Casino, future home of Hard Rock, is on track to hire between 600 and 700 employees before its planned July 8 opening in part of the former Bristol Mall. The full Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol, which is scheduled to open in mid-2024, is expected to employ between 1,200 and 1,500.

Many will be from this region while others want to transfer here from other Hard Rock properties, Evangelista said. Her comments came while participating in a panel discussion at the Southwest Virginia Economic Forum at the University of Virginia at Wise.