Rosie’s gambling site coming to Henrico draws backlash

The split was evident most recently Thursday, when local and state legislators blasted the proposal during a public meeting at the county’s Recreation and Parks building that was filled with so many attendants that some spilled into a hallway.

The general message from legislators was disapproval of the proposed facility, and a message that they would keep pushing for the company to back off the project.

The facility in question is a new Rosie’s Gaming Emporium site at Staples Mill Shopping Center, near the intersection with Glenside Drive. Plans include historical horse racing, which uses slot machine-like terminals to bet on undisclosed, previously run races.

Lawmakers said the site can include up to 175 such machines with operations allowed up until midnight. Rosie’s is currently well within its legal right to open a facility under those parameters.

Residents voiced several concerns about the gambling establishment — potential increases in crime, the facility gaining a state liquor license, dangerous walking conditions along Staples Mill Road and the addictive nature of gambling.

“It’s so devastating to think about. Gambling of this nature is predatory, gambling can become a very addictive way for people to waste their money,” said one of the people in the crowd.

Eight legislators from Henrico County and surrounding jurisdictions penned a letter to the company in July expressing their objection to a Rosie’s along Staples Mill. Legislators wrote that a Rosie’s could bring “undesirable changes” to the community and that going forward without public input would be a “disservice” to their constituents.

That letter was met with silence, they said on Thursday.

Historical horse racing was authorized by the General Assembly in 2019 with the aim of providing a new source of revenue for Virginia’s horse industry, including what was at that point the idled Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County.

Rosie’s was awarded a total of 10 licenses for gambling locations across the state with up to 5,000 total machines and operates gaming emporiums around the state.

While other localities had to pass referendums to allow gaming locations, Henrico was grandfathered in by a 1992 county vote where residents approved betting on horse races, back when voters thought live racing might be possible in the county.

Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico County, said he is hoping Attorney General Jason Miyares will issue an opinion that could give legal grounds to fight against the development.

“Even if you voted for (horse racing) in 1992, you didn’t vote for that,” VanValkenburg said. “What we’re really doing is putting slot machines in neighborhoods.”

Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt, also vice chair for the Henrico County Board of Supervisors, said the company had intentionally “circumvented” public input by pushing the project in the way it did.

Rosie’s, under previous ownership by Colonial Downs, expressed interest in the same project along Staples Mill in 2019, he said. The company decided against building when Schmitt and Henrico said they wouldn’t support the project.

Interest was revived in the project after Churchill Downs took ownership of Rosie’s in 2022.

Henrico County started a monthslong process to expand its review over gambling facilities after the failure of Richmond’s casino referendum in 2023. It would have required more hurdles, including public hearings. The Rosie’s proposal was submitted five days before new rules were approved by the board.

“Circumventing public input is never welcome in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Schmitt said.

Building permits filed with Henrico County on June 18 describe the work as alteration of an existing retail building at 4016 Glenside Drive. The final build is expected to include a wagering facility with accessory restaurant, bar, office and support areas.

County records say that Churchill Downs’ permits were approved by the department of Building Construction and Inspections on Nov. 7.

In June, a 79,000-square-foot building space was available for lease, according to the leasing agent Thalhimer. That listing was no longer available as of Thursday night.

“Churchill Downs Inc. 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,” said company spokesperson Michael Kelly.

VanValkenburg and Schmitt urged the residents to write to elected officials around the state, and to the company, expressing their disapproval of the project.

VanValkenburg said he would also work with the county to push legislation related to historic horse racing at the upcoming general assembly session, although he said it’s too early to know exactly what those laws would look like.

Churchill Downs operates racetracks and casinos in Florida, Kentucky, New York, Louisiana, Maryland and other states. Its Virginia holdings include Colonial Downs in New Kent County, which opened in 1997. 

The company also proposed building a $562 million casino and entertainment complex in South Richmond, but the plan failed to get approval from voters.