Virginia: CDI gains approval for Henrico gambling parlor amid pushback from local leaders

The Virginia Racing Commission on Monday unanimously approved Churchill Downs’ request to open its proposed horse-betting venue in Henrico County by the end of September, advancing the project despite vocal objections from some community leaders and lawmakers over transparency and legal concerns.

The Roseshire Gaming Parlor, planned for a site at the Staples Mill Shopping Center, is set to feature 175 historical horse racing machines, terminals that resemble slot machines and are permitted under a 2018 state law regulating such devices. The facility is expected to begin operations on September 29, pending the completion of remaining administrative requirements.

Churchill Downs, the Kentucky-based gaming operator known for its Rosie’s Gaming Emporium chain, recently secured a state license for the venue. However, the path to approval has drawn criticism from some stakeholders for bypassing public input and leaning on a decades-old referendum to justify the license.

Henrico County officials, including State Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg and Brookland District Supervisor Dan Schmitt, voiced their opposition following the vote, accusing Churchill Downs of exploiting a now-closed zoning loophole and avoiding meaningful engagement with the community.

“I think the supervisor will agree with me: All options are on the table,” VanValkenburg told VPM News. “They still have more permitting to go through, as you guys heard from us in the meeting. We don't think the referendum they're using is a legal use of that referendum, so I think we'll be looking into that as well.”

Churchill Downs used a 1992 Henrico referendum as the basis for its license application, even though the 2018 legislation that formally allowed HHR machines came nearly three decades later. VanValkenburg questioned whether voters at the time could have knowingly approved a form of gambling technology that did not yet exist.

“To say that we OKed machines in 1992 that weren't even created in 1997 is, I think, an abuse of the law, quite frankly,” he said. “I think we have seen a company — and now we've seen a racing commission — that has gone out of their way to avoid the people.”

Henrico previously allowed historical horse racing machines in several commercial zoning districts by-right, but amended its ordinance last year to require more community input. Churchill Downs submitted its application just weeks before those new rules took effect.

Supervisor Schmitt expressed frustration at what he described as repeated refusals by the company to engage with local officials and residents. “They are doing whatever it is they want, to run rampant, regardless of what the community wants,” Schmitt told VPM. “The folks that want to speak to them … are the folks that they are ignoring, and that's the community that they wish to serve.”

Jack Sours, Vice President of Gaming for Churchill Downs, told the commission the company intends to take a “community-focused” approach, including hiring from within the local area and donating annually to neighborhood causes. Schmitt, however, dismissed the remarks as inconsistent with the company’s actions to date.

“I’m proud of the folks who turned out today. They're speaking on behalf not just themselves, they're here to speak on behalf of their neighbors and their community,” Schmitt said. “I only wish we had receptive ears on behalf of the commission and on behalf of the folks who proposed this project.”