Rivers Casino Portsmouth was the one that made it real: on January 23, 2023, it became Virginia’s first full-service permanent casino. More than two years on, it’s still the state’s most complete destination for one kind of player in particular — the table-game and poker crowd. Here’s our honest guide to what’s there and, for Roanoke-area readers, whether the long haul east is worth it.
THE ROANOKE STAR VERDICT — 4 / 5
Virginia’s premier table-game and poker floor, full stop — 57 table games and a 24-table poker room that nothing else in the state matches yet, plus a big-league sportsbook. The catch for our readers: it’s about four hours east in Hampton Roads, and there’s no hotel on site until 2027 — so treat it as a destination trip, not a Saturday run…