Petition signatures will be gathered in the town of Pulaski as residents weigh in on whether to allow a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium.
The same is happening in Amherst County as Churchill Downs, the company that owns the Rosie’s brand, moves toward filling out the locations it can open in the state.
Michael Kelly, director of strategic communication & advocacy for Hunton Andrews Kurth, a lobbying firm representing Churchill Downs Inc. in Virginia, confirmed the petition drives in Pulaski and Amherst.
There are eight Rosie’s sites operating in Virginia: Collinsville, Dumfries, Emporia, Hampton, Henrico County, New Kent County, Richmond and Vinton. While the business operates similarly to a casino, it is legally a pari-mutuel historical horse racing facility that does not feature house-banked table games. Virginia law caps the licenses for such operations to operate in any year at 12.
In a June 25 press release, Pulaski Town Manager Todd Day notified residents that several locations for the business have been assessed, but that a necessary number of petition signatures need to be gathered before voters can consider it on a future ballot — that’s 5% of qualified voters, according to state law. A referendum would then be required.
“I’m excited about it. I know there are mixed emotions around the community, and I absolutely understand that,” said Day. “But, again, I’m excited about it and I think it’s an amazing opportunity for the town.”
Day said that he and his staff have periodically called Rosie’s to “let them know that we are still open for business” — business that could bring as much as an estimated $1 million a year in revenue, he said.
“Needless to say, business brings business, so Rosie’s is just a start, but the economy that it will bring to already existing businesses is priceless,” said Day, adding that two vacant buildings on East Main Street, one within the Pulaski mall and the other within the Pulaski Plaza, are identified as potential locations.
This is not the first time that Amherst County considered a Rosie’s. In 2021, voters rejected a referendum that would have installed the emporium in Madison Heights, with more than 7,000 votes against it.
“I don’t think that rural, beautiful Amherst County is the place for that,” said Tobey Thurston, a county resident who, prior to the 2021 referendum, helped lead a “Vote no to Rosie’s” initiative.
Five years later, Thurston said she is concerned that county officials will leverage the revenue Rosie’s could generate in the new petition as an option to alleviate increases in taxes. “I’m afraid that it’s going to be presented to the county that, if we want our taxes to go down, we have to either vote for a data center or Rosie’s.”
For Pulaski residents who may consider the plan as a move that will encourage gambling in town, Day says he encourages residents to consider what this could mean for a town in need of an economic boost.
“I continuously and respectfully get input all the time that our taxes are high, water rates are high, sewer rates, et cetera, et cetera. And all of that is based on the economy in the area, but a locality that ceases to grow will eventually cease to exist,” he said.
