Rivers Casino Portsmouth Officially Opens in Virginia

Summary

• The casino hosted a soft opening charity event.
• The grand opening to the public is set for Monday.
• The property includes a sportsbook, poker room, and main casino.

The Rivers Casino Portsmouth is almost officially open for business in Virginia. The state’s first freestanding casino celebrated a soft opening last night by hosting a special charity event. The Virginia casino was welcomed by many invited guests and will open to the public this coming Monday after its official grand opening ceremony.

Quality Gaming at the New Casino

Visitors to the new Rivers Casino Portsmouth will have access to various gambling services. The casino teamed up with the BetRivers brand to open a new sportsbook an bar, with a large 750-foot monitor that can showcase 30 games at once. The sportsbook includes 27 self-service kiosks so bettors can wager with no wait times.

The casino also features an upscale poker room with 24 tables and highly trained dealers. The poker room will feature its own cashier cage so players can cash out in the room rather than on the casino floor. A host podium is also included so players can check in.

On the main floor of the casino, guests have access to just under 1,450 slot games and 57 table games. The table game area includes titles like blackjack, roulette, and craps. The casino also included a high stakes area.

The new casino cost $340 million to construct and should be a main destination for travelers in the state as well as locals. The city of Portsmouth expects to see over $16 million in tax revenues from the casino during its first four years of operation. It is a first for the state and hopefully the start of a successful gambling industry in Virginia.

Focus on Guest Security

The casino offers a nice variety of entertainment and dining, with the security of its guests a high priority. Players entering the casino last night went through metal detector systems with additional security measures in place.

General Manager for the casino, Roy Corby, stated that the venue has state-of-the-art surveillance systems in place and security patrols within its parking lot. There are more than 1,000 surveillance cameras watching over the property.

Officials of Portsmouth also asked the casino to place cameras on top of the building so that a view of the local roadways would be visible. The camera picks up Victory and Missy Elliot Boulevard.

Guests of the new casino will also have a security presence when leaving the facility. Personnel can escort patrons to their vehicles as they leave to ensure a safe departure.