In a 3-0 vote, the Virginia Racing Commission recently approved final temporary emergency regulations for historical horseracing machines in the state, effective October 9. Lawmakers authorized historical horseracing earlier this year. Virginia Racing Commission Executive Director David Lermond said the emergency regulations are temporary and will have to be replaced with permanent ones within 18 months.
The emergency rules limit the total number of machines in the Commonwealth to 3,000. The number of machines per facility will be based on an area’s population. For example, an area like Richmond, with 120,000 people or more, can have up to 700 betting terminals per facility. Areas with populations from 60,000 to 120,000 may have up to 300 terminals and areas with 60,000 or fewer people may have up to 150 terminals.
In August, the Virginia Equine Alliance proposed expanding the total number of machines allowed in the state after two years, claiming 3,000 terminals would not “sustain and expand Virginia’s horse industry.” In addition, the VEA argued population does not take into account the number of out-of-towners visiting a betting facility.
On September 24, the Richmond city council unanimously approved plans for an off-track betting facility, to be operated by Colonial Downs. Chicago-based Revolutionary Racing bought the Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County in April, based on the legislature authorizing historical racing machines. The company plans to offer live horseracing next year.
Virginia Equine Alliance Executive Director Jeb Hannum said, “The VEA appreciates the speed in which the commission developed the emergency regulations for HHR. Now that this process is complete, we look forward to the year ahead working with the commission and the Colonial Downs Group to reopen the track.”
