PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Rivers Casino in Portsmouth held a special ceremony Saturday celebrating its first year in operation. It's the first of its kind in Hampton Roads and Virginia.
The ceremony included the unveiling of a time capsule to be opened January 23, 2073, 50 years after the casino's grand opening on Victory Boulevard.
More than 100 people came out to the event, which featured remarks from Rivers Casino and Rush Street Gaming executives.
Local and state lawmakers and dignitaries were also present, including Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover, Virginia Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) and Del. Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Each person who spoke included items to put inside the capsule. Lucas, who was instrumental in changing the law to allow for casinos in Virginia, included the bill that made Rivers Casino possible.
Del. Scott, the first African American House Speaker, put in his gavel and a picture of his family.
Other items put in included a shovel from the groundbreaking, the scissors from the Grand Opening, a newspaper article and a proclamation from Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover.
“One thing we stressed as a team that we were going to work together to make sure this project was executed to the 'T.' I’m happy to report and say Portsmouth, ladies and gentlemen, got this one right," the mayor said.
According to the casino, it added more than $42 million in state and local taxes in the last year, and welcomed more than two million customers. Mayor Glover said the casino had added more than $10 million in local commerce.
The time capsule will be buried at a later date when the ground is warmer, casino representatives told News 3. It will be located near the facade of the casino that faces Victory Boulevard.
