WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS -- When the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has its judicial conference in June at The Greenbrier, the resort's underground casino will not be open.
Per an agreement with the Court, the resort has decided to close the Casino Club for the three-day conference.
About 1,000 judges and lawyers will take part in the conference. The Court didn't want taxpayers to construe its conference there as an endorsement of gambling. The Greenbrier casinos opened in 2009.
"You're going to have guests here that won't be able to go to the casino," Greenbrier owner Jim Justice told the Charleston Gazette. "But it's an agreement we have with them, so that's what we're going to do, and we're delighted to have them."
The Court has had its conference at The Greenbrier before the resort got its gambling license. The 4th Circuit puts on the event every two years, usually moving from The Greenbrier and The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va.
"It will be a hit (financially)," Justice said of closing the Casino Club. "That's all there is to it. But if you have guests that fill up the hotel, you appreciate that too."
He told the Gazette that the conference helps fill most of the resort's 710 rooms. He also said the resort has tentative plans to open the hotel's smaller Tavern Casino during the June 23-25 judicial conference for guests not affiliated with the conference.
The 4th Circuit judicial conference will include federal judges and lawyers from West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Greenbrier casino will close for judicial conference
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