NEW KENT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW BECAUSE OF COLONIAL DOWNS

 New Kent County probably should have sued Virginia, the commonwealth of, for losing a lot of money when the General Assembly reneged on its pledge to convince the county to accept construction of Colonial Downs.

In a deal that appeared, at the time, weighted against 

New Kent – given the multitude of costs surrounding 

the state’s only parimutuel Thoroughbred race race 

track, which opened in 1995, the county nevertheless 

agreed to take on the burden. And most of the 

politicians involved (cliché alert) breathed a sigh of 

relief because they didn’t want the facility in 

northern Virginia or Virginia Beach but rather some 

centrally-located county even if it was “in the middle 

of nowhere” … as one consultant put it.

Until recently, when Richmond, the city of, in 

particular cried foul over New Kent getting half of 

all money bet at the track’s affiliated Rosie’s betting 

parlors, the politicians recognized how well the 

county made out in the arrangement … but also 

understood a deal was a deal.

Anyway, in the last budget, the General Assembly, in 

effect, dared New Kent to do anything about it by 

removing the county’s take from all Rosie’s except 

the one at Colonial Downs, which will remain at 50 

percent.

And, we’ve been told, the county does not plan to 

object. For one thing it has turned the $48 million 

collected over the five fiscal years ending in 2024 

into a bunch of things … like two new fire stations as 

well as extending affordable internet to all homes 

and businesses.

While most of the money has gone to capital 

projects, the county also has used it to hire 18 

firefighters and seven deputies in the sheriff’s 

department. In fact. New Kent has become one of the 

fastest growing counties in the commonwealth.

Also, it is not like New Kent won’t keep on 

receiving big-time goodies from its willingness to 

have Colonial Downs. According to Thomas Evelyn, 

chairman of the county’s board of supervisors, the 

cash spigot has not been turned off. Far from it.

Evelyn estimates “We’ll be getting about $10 million 

a year, possibly more.” It will come from the Rosie’s 

in New Kent plus $110,000 for each day the track 

has racing, which the General Assembly put in the 

2025 budget and hasn’t been vetoed by Gov. Glen 

Youngkin.

This year Colonial will have 44 days, which (based 

on last year’s $3.1M share from the New Kent 

Rosie’s) should result in slightly less than $8M. The 

number of racing days is expected to grow as high as 

50 in 2026 or an additional $8.6M. At the rate 

Rosie’s is doing business just about everywhere, it 

should be long before Evelyn’s estimate of $10M 

annually grows substantially.

While Churchill Downs, Inc., which bought Colonial 

and the state-wide Rosie’s that went with it (now six 

and counting) for $2.2 billion in 2022, will tell you 

anything more than 50 racing days a year would be 

too much here … there is a formula for the number 

of race days required by law that is tied into the 

number of Historical Horse Racing (OK, slot) 

machines in use … and, after all, they are the really-

big moneymakers so (final cliché alert) the sky is the 

limit.