Pulaski voters will decide if the town should have a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium.
A pari-mutuel wagering referendum will be on Pulaski’s Nov. 3 ballot after at least 5% of its registered voters signed petitions and a circuit court order was issued.
Churchill Downs, the company that owns Rosie’s, and town councilman Joel Burchett Sr. filed the Pulaski request on July 1.
Burchett did not respond to a message left for comment.
It was confirmed last month that Amherst County voters will consider the same referendum on Nov. 3, according to county Director of Elections & General Registrar Keitha Robinson. It’s not the first time that Amherst County considered a Rosie’s. In 2021, voters rejected a referendum that would have okayed an emporium in Madison Heights, with more than 7,000 votes against it.
Rosie’s operates eight locations across Virginia — in Collinsville, Dumfries, Emporia, Hampton, Henrico County, New Kent County, Richmond and Vinton. While the venues resemble casinos, they are legally designated as pari-mutuel historical horse racing facilities that do not offer house-banked table games. Virginia law allows no more than 12 such licenses.
In an interview last month, Pulaski Town Manager Todd Day said: “I’m excited about it. I know there are mixed emotions around the community, and I absolutely understand that. 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.
But the issue will face opponents in both Virginia localities based on social and moral objections.
Also in an interview last month, Amherst County resident Tobey Thurston expressed opposition.
“I don’t think that rural, beautiful Amherst County is the place for that,” said Thurston, 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, Thurston said.
Day, in the previous interview, said he encourages residents to consider what a Rosie’s 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.
