UNITE HERE Local 25: Henrico County Residents Should Get to Decide on Controversial Roseshire Gaming Parlor

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UNITE HERE Local 25 issued the following statement on Governor Youngkin’s veto of the clause in the state budget that would have given Henrico residents a choice about whether to move forward with the controversial Churchill Downs Roseshire Gaming Parlor:

Governor Youngkin’s veto takes away the right Henrico County residents to determine whether they will have HHR slot machines in their community. Local communities should have a voice in how gaming expands in the state of Virginia. Residents should get to decide whether their community will host a gaming facility.

Henrico County residents deserve the same opportunity that residents in other Virginia communities have realized in recent years. In 2019, residents in Dumfries and Danville voted to approve Rosie’s gaming locations. However, in both Manassas Park (2023) and Amherst County (2021) residents voted to reject Rosie’s locations. Their decision was respected.

The “Historical Horse Race Terminals” Rosie’s houses are much more similar to the slot machines legalized alongside commercial casinos in 2018 than horse race betting approved in 1992. When commercial casinos were legalized they required local approval through a referendum. Voters in five Virginia cities approved casinos, but voters in Richmond did not. Again, their decision was respected.

Unlike resort casinos that are part of larger commercial development projects, we are concerned that these slot parlors do less to benefit the surrounding community and create few decent jobs. The state legislature has rightfully worked to give local residents the opportunity to direct economic development in their cities by holding votes on these gaming expansions. The bipartisan group of lawmakers that worked to add this language to the budget would have given the same right to Henrico County residents.

Governor Youngkin’s veto takes that right away.

UNITE HERE Local 25 represents 7,000 gaming, restaurant, and hotel workers across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. Local 25’s members are the immigrants, women, and people of color who power our region’s hospitality sector.