This spring, Rivers Casino Portsmouth celebrated their first anniversary, so we thought we’d reach out to General Manager Roy Corby, to gain his perspectives on the past year’s accomplishments and discover what’s up next in their calendar of events.
CoVaBIZ: Congratulations on your anniversary. It’s been a busy year. What accomplishments are you most proud of so far?
Corby: Rivers Casino Portsmouth is part of our growing family of market-leading, full-service regional destination casinos. All Rivers Casinos are intentionally unique, reflecting the personalities of their markets. They’re custom-designed to integrate seamlessly with each home city and to complement the area’s geographic location. From day one, we committed ourselves to serving the surrounding region as a strong economic engine, a proud community partner, and as a great place to work.
We’ve reached many milestones and we’re proud of our achievements over the last 12 months. We hosted our first “State of the City” event, showcasing Grammy-winning performers, and welcoming more than 2 million guests. We even dedicated a 2073 time capsule as part of our “First On Victory” one-year anniversary celebration.
To date, Rivers Casino Portsmouth has generated over $42 million in new state and local tax revenues. Importantly, 32% of the casino’s workforce is comprised of Portsmouth residents—significantly contributing to the local economy and job market.
From a workplace culture perspective, we’re honored that all Rivers Casinos have been voted a “Best Place to Work” or “Top Workplace” by the team members who work there, and Rivers Casino Portsmouth has already joined those ranks—named a “2024 Best Place to Work” by CoVaBIZ magazine within our first 12 months.
Rivers Casino Portsmouth was also recognized as one of the most community-minded companies in the region and was named a Civic 50 honoree by VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads and Points of Light—the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service.
In terms of regional appeal, Admiral’s Steak and Seafood, our fine-dining restaurant, has also quickly become one of the region’s most popular locations for dining out, according to Open Table. So we’ve had many early successes of which we’re very proud, and we have many more things planned for the months and years ahead.
How has Rivers Portsmouth grown in terms of employees, customers, or market reach since the doors opened in January of 2023?
We currently have more than 1,100 team members spanning a variety of positions—from table dealers to security personnel, from servers to culinary staff, and more. It’s particularly exciting for us to have welcomed guests from all 50 states, including celebrating our one-millionth customer who was from Norfolk and our two-millionth customer who visited from Newport News.
Can you share some insights into the company's strategy for sustainability and community engagement and any initiatives you've launched in this area?
We’re a proud community partner and we’re committed to embracing a culture of philanthropy through Rivers Gives, which is our longstanding community engagement initiative. Rivers Gives is underpinned by five key pillars: Volunteerism, Board Service, Donation Drives, In-Kind Contributions, and Corporate Giving.
We’ve also launched an enterprise-wide Giving Event last October, focusing on three initiatives to enhance the quality of life for our local community: health and human services; workforce development and economic opportunity; and supporting U.S. military and veterans. To these ends, we participated in an inaugural synchronized celebration, consisting of more than 6,000 team members across all Rivers Casino locations in Pittsburgh, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Des Plaines, ILL (Chicago area); Schenectady, NY, and Portsmouth, VA.
As part of that coordinated effort, Rivers Casino Portsmouth supported Roc Solid Foundation, Bon Secours Community Health Hub, the American Cancer Society, and Edmarc Hospice for Children.
What role do you see this business playing in the local community, and how have you engaged with community members in your first year?
Through Rivers Gives, our team members can volunteer for service days at local nonprofits instead of reporting to the gaming floor. This allows them to personally connect with the communities in which they live and work.
So far, Rivers Casino Portsmouth has contributed nearly one million dollars in corporate philanthropy and over 1,000 hours of volunteerism to our local community—supporting several other charitable organizations, such as the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, the Urban League of South Hampton Roads, the Portsmouth Police Athletic League (PAL) and Portsmouth’s Safety Town.
What have been some of the biggest challenges the company has faced in its first year, and how did you overcome them?
Rivers Casino was aware that introducing a completely new industry to the region and filling over a thousand positions during a time when nearly every business faced talent shortages would be quite an undertaking, but we were ready for the challenge.
We’re so proud of our team members and grateful for their hard work and dedication. We’re always hiring and we continuously promote from within. Prospective team members can visit the casino website for more information on open positions and hiring information.
In what ways has customer feedback influenced the ongoing direction of the casino's services and entertainment offerings?
We always aim to exceed the expectations of our guests and the community at large. We readily welcome feedback from all of our guests. We’re committed to service excellence and continuously monitor guest reactions and reviews to ensure a fun and exciting customer experience. For example, in response to customer demand, our poker room operations were recently expanded to be open 24/7.
What can we expect from you in the coming year? Any exciting plans, launches or expansions on the horizon?
There’s always something exciting happening at Rivers Casino Portsmouth, and we encourage guests to follow us on social media and check RiversCasino.com frequently for updates. Here’s just a few of the events and performances we’re bringing to the region:
• “Shark Tank” Open Casting: In collaboration with 13 NewsNow, Rivers hosted Virginia’s first-ever open call for the four-time Emmy Award-winning ABC-TV series “Shark Tank” at The Event Center on Friday, April 12. Contestants had an opportunity to pitch business ideas to the casting team as part of Season 16’s nationwide search to discover the next batch of entrepreneurs, inventors, creators, and innovators who dream of facing the Sharks. We were proud to host this popular event right here in our community.
• POP 2000 Tour: Hosted by Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, and featuring performances by platinum-selling artists O-Town, BBMak, Ryan Cabrera and LFO at our Event Center on Friday June 21, 2024.
• The Jacksons: Tito, Marlon, and Jackie Celebrate 50 Years of Chart-Topping Music at The Event Center on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
• Anjelah Johnson-Reyes: One of today's most successful stand-up comedians will fill The Event Center with laughter on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.