HeadWaters Resort & Casino in Norfolk, a $500 million build from the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and billionaire Jon Yarbrough, also won’t open before 2024. Hard Rock Bristol, a $400 million project, is targeting a summer 2024 opening. Rivers Casino Portsmouth will become Virginia’s first permanent casino to welcome guests in the state’s history.

Less than a year later, the property is nearing completion and will open its doors in just 55 days. Rush Street broke ground on Rivers Casino Portsmouth in December 2021. Rivers chose to bypass constructing a temporary casino in favor of focusing its efforts on the permanent resort. Temporary casinos are also in the plans in Norfolk and Danville. Hard Rock opened its temporary gaming space this past July. Virginia’s gaming bill allowed each approved casino to open a temporary casino during the construction of the permanent resort. Only Richmond voters opted to forego the gaming privilege. Four of the designated locations subsequently gained local approval from voters through ballot referendums. Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Danville, and Bristol were the five qualifying cities. The gaming bill was designed to assist economically deficient cities by allowing them to authorize a single casino resort to spur job creation, regional economic activity, and create a new tax benefit. Ralph Northam (D) legalized commercial gambling in 2020, but only in five designated cities. Rush Street confirmed Monday morning that Rivers Portsmouth will hold its grand opening on Sunday, Jan. The issuance cleared the way for the forthcoming casino resort to open near Tidewater Community College’s Portsmouth Campus just south of I-264 between Missy Elliott and Victory boulevards. The Virginia Lottery Board last week issued Rivers Portsmouth its operating license.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth is a $340 million undertaking from Rush Street Gaming, a Chicago-based gaming operator that runs casinos in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, and soon Virginia. The $340 million casino plans to open on Jan. Construction of Rivers Casino Portsmouth in Virginia’s Hampton Roads is nearing completion. Rivers Casino Portsmouth plans to make history in Virginia by opening the state’s first permanent casino on Jan. Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Novelty Betting, Politics.

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