A proposed Rosie's gaming site in Henrico is drawing broad opposition
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A proposal to open a Rosie's Gaming Emporium, a casino-style gambling venue, in Henrico County is drawing broad opposition from local officials, residents and state lawmakers.
Why it matters: Officials allege that Rosie's owner, Kentucky-based Churchill Downs, intentionally exploited a loophole in county ordinances days before Henrico supervisors were scheduled to close it, according to media reports.
Driving the news: This week, state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, who represents Henrico and opposes the project, sent a letter to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares asking him to weigh in with a legal opinion that would help the county push back on the Rosie's plan.
Catch up quick: In June, Churchill Downs filed plans with the county to open a Rosie's with its "historical horse racing" slot machines on Staples Mill Road, about a half-mile away from the train station, BizSense reported.
- Those plans were filed days before Henrico supervisors were scheduled to meet to pass new rules which would require gaming facilities to go through a more rigorous review process to open, Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt told BizSense.
- Before the supervisors unanimously passed the update in June, Rosie's only needed to file a building permit to open due to a 1992 county referenda that allowed horse betting when the county thought it might get live horse racing, per the Times-Dispatch.
- Since the county was working to close the decades-old loophole when the permit was filed, every state lawmaker representing Henrico sent a letter to Churchill Downs in July, asking them to withdraw their application and resubmit it under current rules.
Churchill Downs never replied to that letter VanValkenburg tells Axios.
- The Rosie's permit was approved by Henrico on Nov. 7, per the RTD. It was allowed because their application predated the county rules change.
What they're saying: "Churchill Downs Incorporated is excited to have received the necessary approvals from Henrico County to develop a new boutique gaming concept that will allow us to create jobs, generate tax revenue, and offer exciting entertainment options," Michael Kelly, a spokesperson for Churchill Downs, said in a statement to Axios.
Between the lines: Slot machines that allow bettors to place wagers on past horse races have been legal in Virginia since 2018, when the General Assembly okayed them to help revive the then-defunct Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent.
- The bill required localities to approve allowing the venues — unless a county or city, like Henrico, had previously okayed off-track betting sites.
Of note: Right now there are eight Rosie's Gaming Emporiums across Virginia, two in Northern Virginia, and two in the Richmond region, including one in a former Kmart on Midlothian Turnpike and one inside Colonial Downs in New Kent, about 30 miles east of Richmond.
- Richmond City, of course, was the only locality in Virginia that rejected a ballot measure to allow full-blown casinos. Voters did so twice, including one that would be jointly developed by Rosie's owner Churchill Downs Inc.
- A Henrico Rosie's would give the Richmond region the largest concentration of these "historic horse racing" betting parlors in the state.
What we're watching: VanValkenburg hasn't yet heard back from Miyares yet, but noted "it typically takes some time for them to get an opinion out," he tells Axios.