The Greenbrier Resort is one of the most well-known landmarks in West Virginia and that was before the proprietors of the resort decided to construct an underground casino facility. The cost of the casino was expected to be around $20 million.
Now, the owner of the Greenbrier Resort announced on May 11th, 2010 that the cost has escalated to more than $80 million. The original idea was to have a fifty thousand square foot gaming facility, but Jim Justice has increased that to a 100,000 square foot casino establishment.
Aside from the casino, restaurants and shops are being included to the facility. The Greenbrier Resort has hosted well-known guests like presidents and leaders from other nations. The casino is expected to enhance the popularity of Greenbrier. The additional expenses of the casino project were covered by Justice when he sold some of his share in Mechel OAO. Justice and his relatives made more than $200 million from the sale.
With the financial aspect of the project settled, The Greenbrier is now planning the opening of their casino in early July 2010. The facility will be holding a PGA Tour event in just a few weeks after the facility’s opening. The original date for Greenbrier’s opening was April 1st, 2010, but as the casino grew in size, the opening date was moved up.
West Virginia has been one the states in the U.S. where gaming expansion has been at the forefront of the legislators’ agenda. The Greenbrier will be hiring hundreds of casino employees to help with the launch of the facility. When the casino opens, it will have two thousand employees.
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