The town of Pulaski and Amherst County will vote on a pari-mutuel wagering referendum that decides whether the localities should have a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium.
The Rosie’s franchise is affiliated with the Colonial Downs horse track and company in Virginia, and they are both owned by Churchill Downs.
Other localities in the region have had the facilities for years — benefitting from tax revenue and increased foot traffic, according to local officials.
In Henry County and Vinton, voters approved pari-mutuel wagering in 2004, which brought the Rosie’s facilities that offer slot machine games based on a horse-racing algorithm.
The facilities bring in millions of dollars of tax revenue. It has brought in $10 million to Vinton since Rosie’s opening in 2019, said Richard “Pete” Peters, the town manager. Henry County has received $865,000 since Rosie’s opened in Collinsville in 2021, according to county documents. Vinton has 500 terminals in its standalone facility in comparison to Collinsville, which has fewer than 50 terminals while operating inside the Dutch Inn.
The Vinton Rosie’s regularly gets between 25,000 and 38,000 visitors each month, said the general manager, Todd Lear. The Rosie’s in Collinsville has about 5,000 visitors each month, said Lear, who also oversees the Collinsville facility.
For Vinton, the tax revenue covers a significant portion of the town’s capital improvements, including stormwater piping, equipment, infrastructure, parks and remodeling of public facilities. Peters said he doesn’t know how Vinton would have accomplished some of the improvements without revenue from Rosie’s.
“It’s just been an overwhelmingly positive thing for the town,” Peters said.
Vinton has dedicated more than $8 million of its $10 million pari-mutuel tax revenue to capital improvements. The money has paid for redevelopment projects, public parking, greenways, public parks, bridge maintenance, stormwater infrastructure and transportation enhancements for walkability, Peters said. The town received $2.1 million in 2025.
In addition to tax revenue, Rosie’s also has a program that makes monetary contributions to local communities where Rosie’s operates across Virginia.
From the Vinton Rosie’s, donations have been made to the Roanoke County Police, the D-Day Memorial, the Ronald McDonald House and the Vinton Breakfast Lions Club, which helped build a new park in Vinton — among other organizations. A total of $100,000 is contributed each year to nonprofits, Lear said. Rosie’s has also worked with Henry County Public Schools, Lear said.
“We try to be very visible in the community and make sure that we are taking care of them as well,” Lear said.
Not all agree gaming facilities should be operating
There are strong concerns about bringing gaming businesses to the localities, such as an increase in crime, gambling and drug addiction and a toll on mental health.
Local leaders, Rosie’s managers and police say that they haven’t seen an increase in crime due to Rosie’s. Lear said the company runs a very professional, safe and secure facility.
“You expect something unique like that to have some issues, but I’m not aware of any issues at their operations,” said Dale Wagoner, Henry County administrator. “They run a very professional operation. They provide adequate security and do all the measures to keep them safe.”
Sgt. Michael Caldwell with the Vinton Police Department said officers respond to the Rosie’s at least a few times a month.
“We’ve had a fairly good relationship,” Caldwell said. He said Rosie’s enforces trespassing and has its own security.
Caldwell said he is not aware of an increase in financial crimes. At times, there are intoxicated people, and police have found narcotics, Caldwell said.
The police also get called when there’s any type of criminal activity such as fraud or larceny, Caldwell said.
Rosie’s management has been cooperative, coming to court as witnesses and having plenty of surveillance videos. The department subpoenas those videos, he said.
“These facilities are entertainment venues that are right-sized for the communities. You’re looking at maybe 100 electronic machines in each facility,” said Ryan Saylor, a spokesperson for Commonwealth Wins, a political advocacy group that is supported by Colonial Downs. “There’s not going to be any risk of increased crime.”
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request to talk about Rosie’s and any crime data that would be relevant. Martinsville Commonwealth’s Attorney Patrick Flinn said he hasn’t seen an uptick in financial crimes since the neighboring county brought in Rosie’s.
Gaming centers vary in size
The Rosie’s in Vinton is significantly larger than the facility in Henry County or the size that a Rosie’s would be in either Amherst County or Pulaski.
The Rosie’s in Vinton has nearly 500 terminals, which is 350 more than what is typically allowed by law for a small town like Vinton — with just over 8,000 people. Peters said the town got an exception to count for the population of the Roanoke metropolitan statistical area, which includes over 300,000 people.
Henry County, Amherst County and Pulaski can each have a maximum of 150, since their populations are below 60,000.
“In their current operation, the amount of revenue is trivial,” Wagoner said about the Collinsville facility. “But I do think they have potential to generate a lot more revenue, particularly if you do it in comparison to their other new, modern facilities.”
In Henry County, Rosie’s could become an even more substantial presence. There’s a proposal to build a much larger, stand-alone Rosie’s facility in Ridgeway that would allow the county to increase the number of terminals from about 35 to 150. The board of zoning appeals is scheduled to consider the proposal at its meeting on Wednesday.
“We’re agnostic to where it’s at, as long as it operates professionally and safely,” said Wagoner, the county administrator. “I know the company, I’m sure, is looking to tap into the North Carolina market more.”
The proposed new location for the Rosie’s is next to Martinsville Speedway. Wagoner said many people come in for the race a week early and stay at the campground.
“It could be another avenue for our race fans to have something to do while they’re here,” Wagoner said.
With the potential to triple the number of terminals, Lear said there should be an increase in visitors, which would also increase the tax revenue for Henry County. Plus, a new Virginia law that went into effect July 1 doubles the amount of revenue for any locality that has a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium.
Previously, 50% of the tax revenue generated went to New Kent County, where the Colonial Downs Racetrack is located in Virginia. Now, the locality that generated the revenue will receive 100%.
A venue in Amherst County could generate nearly $2 million in tax revenue during the first year of operation and support an estimated 173 jobs, according to a study by Mangum Economics. Pulaski could receive up to an estimated $1 million in tax revenue, said Todd Day, the town manager.
“That seems to be really a selling point for a lot of members of the community that see the opportunity there without having to have their own taxes increased,” said Saylor, who is also an Amherst resident.
But other residents in Amherst County are frustrated that the referendum even made it on the ballot.
“The citizens of Amherst already said no to pari-mutuel wagering,” said resident Tobey Thurston at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting. Citizens defeated the same referendum in 2021, with more than 7,000 residents voting against bringing a Rosie’s to the county.
Nancy Lewis moved to Henry County in 1955 and voted yes to the pari-mutuel wagering referendum in 2004. She comes to the Rosie’s in Collinsville a couple of times each month.
Rosie’s provides entertainment for seniors, Lewis said. It’s a relaxing experience, and the employees are really nice, she said.
“I think it’s just a real asset to the community as far as to help with maybe taxes and more money for the county,” Lewis said.
