The Rose Gaming Resort Opens in Virginia About 30 Miles South of Nation’s Capital
The Rose Gaming Resort is officially open in Dumfries, Va.
Churchill Downs, Inc., has quietly opened its gaming resort about 30 air miles south of Washington, DC. The Rose offers 1,650 slot-like gaming machines, a 102-room hotel, two sit-down restaurants, and a food court with six eateries.
The Play Book Sports Bar + Grill, one of the two full-service restaurants, offers free entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights beginning this Friday, November 8. A steak and seafood outlet called 1609 offers a more upscale dining experience.
As for gaming, The Rose’s 1,650 gaming terminals are historical horse racing (HHR) machines that use previously run horse races and their associated parimutuel odds to determine if a spin wins or loses. The HHR parimutuel wagering operation is delivered to the customer in an entertaining video experience mimicking a slot.
The Rose explains of HHR:
The definition of parimutuel is the operator does not have a stake in the outcome of the wager and the net pool is returned to the players. HHR has multiple parallel entertainment paths. The cabinetry looks like a traditional game, but it functions the same as placing a wager at an OTB Kiosk. The results are displayed as both a graphical representation of past horse races and another screen provides animation similar to traditional games.”
The Rose’s hotel rooms are available for stays, with rates from $219. With a $10 nightly resort fee and taxes, the rate comes to $265.04.
The Rose will open a 79-acre park in the future. The Rose was built on top of a former landfill in Prince William County.
Grand Opening Planned
The Rose Gaming Resort is operating in a soft opening phase where the property’s more than 400 employees continue to be trained and learn on the job. A formal grand opening event is planned for this Thursday, November 7.
Guests who enroll in the property’s loyalty program dubbed Rosie’s Rewards qualify to win up to $500 in free play. Those who visit The Rose at least five times within 28 days of enrollment automatically receive a guaranteed $125.
During Churchill Downs’ third quarter earnings call, CEO William Carstanjen said The Rose opened on October 21 for a VIP-only event. The gaming floor opened softly on October 23.
We decided to proceed with a soft opening for a couple of weeks after the VIP event to give the team time to assimilate properly given the size of the property and the importance of establishing the right customer experience,” Carstanjen said. “Given the volume of customers we saw at the VIP event and at the soft opening, we certainly have taken the right approach.”
The Rose is Churchill Downs’ largest HHR facility in Virginia. The company runs HHR gaming machines at seven off-track parimutuel betting locations under the Rosie’s Gaming Emporium brand in Collinsville, Dumfries, Emporia, Hampton, New Kent, Richmond, and Vinton.
Virginia Bet Paying Off
In November 2022, Churchill Downs completed its nearly $2.5 billion acquisition of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E). The takeover gave Churchill the Colonial Downs Racetrack, Rosie’s venues, the opportunity to build a commercial casino in Richmond pending voter approval, and The Rose, a $460 million development that began in early 2022.
Though voters in Richmond defeated Churchill’s $562 million proposal for a casino called the Richmond Grand, Carstanjen told investors the P2E acquisition continues to be “a great investment.”
“Virginia has been a great investment and business environment for us and we look forward to expanding our footprint and partnership with the commonwealth,” Carstanjen explained. “Our historical racing machine opportunities are inextricably tied to our Colonial Downs Racetrack and our franchise as the exclusive operator of thoroughbred racing in the commonwealth.”
In March 2025, Colonial Downs will host a “significant” Kentucky Derby qualifying race, which will be a first in the history of horse racing in Virginia.
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