Community members gather to discuss Rosie’s gambling facility coming to Henrico

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Residents and some local officials are expressing their outrage about the new Rosie's gambling facility and "casino-like parlor" coming to Henrico County, arguing they didn't get a chance to vote on it before it was pushed through.

On Thursday, Dec. 5, a town hall meeting was held at Henrico Recreation and Parks Center to discuss the Churchill Downs and Rosie's Gaming Emporium application for a new gambling facility in a vacant part of the Staples Mill Shopping Center.

8News attended the event where community members expressed their feelings about the proposal, including Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico).

"To be very blunt, I don't want it," VanValkenburg said. "I have some pretty strong feelings about the state of gambling in the Commonwealth, and where we don't need it, and it includes our neighborhoods."

Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg and Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt speaking at a meeting held at the Henrico Recreation and Parks Center on Thursday, Dec. 5 about a Rosie's Gaming Emporium coming to the Staples Mill Shopping Center. (Photo courtesy: Brad Vassar, 8News)

Attendees at a meeting held at the Henrico Recreation and Parks Center on Thursday, Dec. 5 about a Rosie's Gaming Emporium coming to the Staples Mill Shopping Center. (Photo courtesy: Brad Vassar, 8News)

(Photo courtesy: Brad Vassar, 8News)

Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt said county staff began working on protections or ordinances in January 2024 that could be put in place to require applicants to attend public hearings instead of utilizing a by-right use, which does not require them to attend.

Schmitt said he received a request to meet with a legal council for Churchill Downs on April 22, in which they expressed interest in the property.

"[Churchill Downs] was very clear that I would not be supportive of that location, that choice for that entity," Schmitt said. "We were very clear of their level of care that they had a by-right use. They were thankful that we were clear with them on our non-agreement to be supportive of it."

According to Schmitt, Churchill Downs has a by-right ability to put up to 175 machines, operational until midnight, without needing to attend a public hearing.

If Churchill Downs wants to install more than 175 machines or operate past midnight, they would have to go through a process that requires them to attend a public hearing and have a vote by a board, according to Schmitt.

However, Schmitt said the county members' office sent him and his colleagues a letter the next day, on April 23, which stated staff are prepared to offer a program to put an ordinance in place requiring applicants to attend a public hearing.

Schmitt said the county gave four public notices and letters, publicizing that they were going to put the ordinance in place.

On June 25, a zoning amendment was approved by the Board of Supervisors that requires an applicant to speak and hear from the public.

However, Schmitt said days before the ordinance went into effect, Churchill Downs filed their building permit.

"They knew that after Tuesday, June 25, that the actions of my colleagues and I, unanimously, would require -- when we passed that amendment -- public input," Schmitt said at the meeting. "At every single turn, they navigated a pathway to avoid hearing you [the public]."

VanValkenburg said that in 1992, voters passed a referendum to legalize off-track betting. Fast forward to 2018, the county expanded its scope when the referendum was amended to allow horse race betting under the oversight of the Virginia Racing Commission.

VanValkenburg suggests that Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, which has become a prominent operator in the area, was fully aware of an impending change to Henrico’s approval process. The county was preparing to introduce more rigorous requirements, including Board approval and public hearings before any new betting operations could be authorized.

According to VanValkenburg, this knowledge likely prompted Rosie’s to rush their approval request, seeking to secure permission before these stricter regulations were put in place in June.

"A lot of people are concerned about it, but on top of that, they're frustrated because they feel like their voice isn't even being heard at all," VanValkenburg said.

VanValkenburg said the entire state delegation signed a letter asking Churchill Downs to pull the project and go through the process of attending a public hearing, however, he said they have not responded.

At the meeting, community members shared several concerns about the facility, some of which included safety issues.

"My question is what measures is Rosie's taking to ensure our safety?" a community member said at the meeting. "This institution is going to literally be in my backyard."

Schmitt said at the meeting that there is a required crime prevention plan as part of Rosie's permitting process, which requires them to complete a certification with the county's police division.

"I have full faith in our police division. They know what they are looking at. They've studied the other locations," Schmitt said.

VanValkenburg said he is going to ask the Attorney General to issue an opinion on a regulation that Henrico residents voted on in 1992, which did not include historical horse racing.

"[Churchill Downs is] not only going around the public process with the county, they're also going around the public process with you because even if you were here to vote on it in 1992, you didn't vote for that," VanValkenburg said.

Schmitt said at the meeting that there is currently no "published" timeline for when the gambling facility will open.

Rosie's issued the following statement to 8News:

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, Director of Strategic Communication & Advocacy for Rosie's Gaming Emporium