Bristol Wants a Bigger Share of Hard Rock Casino Revenue

Six candidates running for seats on the Bristol, Virginia City Council in the November 3 election are calling for a larger share of the tax revenue from the Hard Rock Casino for the city. Under the current agreement, Bristol shares the revenue with 13 other local governments in Southwest Virginia, and each receives a little over 7 percent.

Mayor Jake Holmes, Vice Mayor Neal Osborne and council member Michael Pollard are seeking re-election as independent candidates. All three say Bristol bears the costs of traffic, road maintenance and public safety generated by the casino, and therefore deserves more revenue.

Holmes said he wants host cities to receive some form of payment. He said visitors from outside the region who travel to the casino cause more wear on roads and increase the need for public safety. He added that the city has also incurred costs to address odor and other problems from the quarry landfill.

Osborne and Pollard argue that Bristol faces infrastructure and security expenses caused by the casino that other local governments do not have to cover. They point out that other casino host cities in Virginia receive all of the locally generated gaming tax revenue.

Projections presented earlier this year to the Southwest Virginia Regional Development Commission estimate that each local government will receive about $1 million in 2026. Any change would require approval from the Virginia General Assembly.

Former city manager Randy Eads previously suggested that Bristol deserves between 27 and 50 percent of the revenue. Other local governments oppose the proposal, saying they need these funds in their annual budgets. Current city manager Tamrya Spradlin said she will consider the views of council members.