Rivers Casino Portsmouth construction moves forward in Virginia

The $300m resort, scheduled to open in early 2023, had its topping-off ceremony this week. 

US.- Rivers Casino Portsmouth, in Virginia, has marked a new milestone with a topping-off ceremony, celebrating completion of work on its structure. Rush Street Gaming‘s $300m project will feature a casino, BetRivers Sportsbook, hotel, restaurants, a live entertainment lounge and event centre at the intersection of Victory Blvd and Freedom Avenue. It is scheduled to open in early 2023.

At the topping-off ceremony, a Rivers-yellow steel beam signed by the Ballard-Yates construction teams, Rivers Casino Portsmouth leadership, and local officials was raised against a backdrop of celebratory music and hoisted into place. The ceremony featured remarks from Senator L. Louise Lucas; Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover; Roy Corby, General Manager, Rivers Casino Portsmouth; and Justin Ballard, S.B. Ballard Construction Company (Ballard-Yates).

“We began moving dirt and setting the stage less than a year ago, and we are making great progress,” said Justin Ballard, S.B. Ballard Construction Company. “Despite supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, we are still on track to complete this project early 2023.”

Roy Corby, general manager, Rivers Casino Portsmouth, added: “Ballard-Yates shares our commitment to high-quality construction and timely delivery of Portsmouth’s state-of-the-art casino, and we thank the entire construction team for their continued hard work and partnership as we make steady progress toward opening.”

Work on the venue began with a groundbreaking ceremony last December. Tuesday’s ceremony follows a recent announcement from Rivers Casino Portsmouth of a series of five job fairs, one per month, over the next five months, starting today (May 12) at Tidewater Community College’s Portsmouth Campus. The first job fair will focus on table games and dealer school training.

Portsmouth was one of four cities in Virginia that approved the development of a single casino through local ballot referendums during the 2020 presidential election. Casinos are also being built in Norfolk, Danville, and Bristol. Virginia voters from Richmond rejected a new casino.

See also: Virginia sports betting handle reaches $470m in March