By Debbie Adams
Colonial Downs Group has announced that every week in 2021, Rosie’s Gaming Emporium® will donate $1,000 to a local charity from a community in which it operates. Vinton is one of those communities.
Fifty-two thousand dollars in 52 weeks to 52 worthy charities adds to Rosie’s over $1 Million in donations to date.
Aaron Gomes, chief operating officer of Colonial Downs Group, stated, “Helping those communities around us is at the core of our operational philosophy. We truly believe that high tides raise all ships, and we are determined to add value to the communities in which we operate.”
The first recipient of “Together We Win” is the Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP) program of the Roanoke Valley. Autumn Lavering, chief operating officer of CHIP states, “Thanks to Rosie’s generous contribution, we can continue to provide health and hope to children and families in need.”
The “Together We Win” program will be administered through the Rosie’s Gives Back charitable giving platform. Weekly contribution announcements can be found at https://rosiesgaming.com/events/together-we-win/.
Through Rosie’s Gives Back, Colonial Downs Group has made monetary and in-kind donations of more than $1.1 million and has logged over 1,100 service hours in Virginia communities.
In other news from Rosie’s, the expansion at the Vinton Rosie’s is underway. The expansion is planned to almost double the facility in size and add a parking garage, with an investment “into the millions” and the hiring of many more employees.
General Manager Ernie Dellaverson shared “the big picture,” and some details with Council at a town council meeting in November 2020 via Zoom. The project will add approximately 18,000 square feet to the building and increase the number of gaming machines from 150 to 500.
The proposed three and a half story parking garage will include 276 parking spots with elevators to the different levels with ADA accessibility. A drop-off lane will be added along with a large open walking space.
An entertainment section will be added to the interior, with 30 bar stools and a stage for live entertainment for up to a six-member band.
A new circular bar will be added in a separate section of the building. The facility basics will be expanded and upgraded including mechanicals and restrooms.
At the time, Dellaverson said plans were for “shovels in the ground in January” with the project completed by December of 2021. The existing facility won’t shut down during the expansion project with parking currently available behind the building.
Rosie’s also announced that a resident from the Newport News area hit the highest Historical Horse Racing (HHR) jackpot in U.S history at the Rosie’s Gaming Emporium® located in Hampton, Virginia on January 12. The jackpot, totaling $914,530.90 was hit playing “Big Ea$y Money”.
The player, who wishes to remain anonymous, plans to purchase a new home for his family and a sports car for himself. He stated that he brought $100 to Rosie’s to “try his luck” and had only been there for about 10 minutes when he hit the jackpot. He says the secret to winning was being “in the right place at the right time!”
Colonial Downs Group is a proud business operator in Virginia and with the opening of its fifth location in Dumfries will employ more than 1,000 team members in the Commonwealth, paying over $30 million in annual salaries, wages, and benefits.
Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® in Richmond, Hampton, New Kent, Vinton, and Dumfries offer innovative historic horseracing (HHR) gaming technology and full card simulcasting. Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County hosts live thoroughbred racing on two nationally renowned surfaces–Secretariat Turf Course, the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and on a 1 1/4 mile dirt track, second in length to only the world-famous Belmont Park.
Colonial Downs Group has made a $300 million investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The company pays more than $32 million in annual state and local taxes plus an additional $12 million in racing industry payments annually.
Those local taxes have made a big impact on the town budget in Vinton.
