Rosie’s Gaming Emporium Richmond location opens
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Richmonders won’t have to head to New Kent County to get their casino fix anymore.
Rosie’s Richmond opened its doors Monday, featuring 700 historical horse race machines.
“For so many years, this is something we needed," said Rosie’s Richmond general manager Phillip Harris.
The machines at the Richmond location at 6807 Midlothian Turnpike are the same ones found at Rosie’s New Kent and Vinton.
Mark Paron, the marketing manager, explains how the slot-like machines work, “you’re presented with three races. It shows you the stats of each race. Off of the statistics, you can choose which horse you think is going to win."
The 140,000-square-foot location is operated by a massive 225-person staff, filling out “a various number of roles." Harris says that all hires are local Richmond residents.
The Colonial Downs Group says that Rosie’s New Kent and Vinton locations helped generate $1 million in tax revenue for their respective localities in the month of May alone.
They expect Richmond, which has roughly the same amount of gaming terminals as New Kent and Vinton combined, to be the big money maker among the three locations.
“In terms of taxes for the city and the Commonwealth for the Richmond location, we’re expecting about $9 million annually," Colonial Downs Group’s Chief Operating Officer Aaron Gomes said.
Harris said that safety is a main priority at Rosie’s Richmond, given the amount of money that will exchange hands daily, adding that they’re already working to help make sure patrons come and go safely.
“Twenty percent of our staff is dedicated to security. We have a tower in our parking lot. As a matter of fact, most parking lots in terms of illumination is one to two, we’re at a six,” Harris said.
Richmond police confirm that ‘extra-duty’ officers will patrol the vicinity of Rosie’s.
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