Betting on Horse Racing in VA.

 PLEASE NO HHRs. GAMBLING DESTROYS FAMILIES.

I am not in favor or allowing this type of gambling in our state and certainly in my community.  It is addictive and does nothing but drain funds especially from the poorer segment of our community.

I consider the legislation to allow betting on horse racing to be a travesty.  It will drain money from local communities to support an industry that contributes nothing to the development of our families.  I most certainly do not want any casinos in my neighborhood.

There is an indisputable body of evidence that casinos and slot-like gaming machines exploit the poor and only exacerbate their poverty. And today's modern slots gambling machines are designed to be the most addictive form of gambling ever developed. A Chicago-based gaming company should have NO SAY WHATSOEVER in the extent these machines are installed in Virginia. Decisions on mini-casinos of any kind should be left up to the locality in which the casino would be located, and at a minimum, there should be a reasonable cap on the total number of machines state-wide. In addition, a substantial portion of the proceeds from these machines should be earmarked for gambling addiction programs and services in Virginia.

Now that the Governor has signed House Bill 1609 legalizing historical horse race/slot machines at Colonal Downs and 10 other locations around Virginia, the real work of writing the rules and regulations overseeing their usage has begun.

Recently, Governor Northam made a number of very important recommendations to the Virginia Racing Commission concerning those regulations. These include limiting the total amount of machines statewide to 3000, and also putting a cap on the number of machines allowed in each locality according to population. He also stipulated that if Colonial wants more than 35% of the maximum allowed machines in a particular locality, they will need the approval of local government. For example Richmond and Henrico both qualify for 700 machines. That means Colonial can install up to 245 slot machines without local approval in either location. If they want more than 245 machines (the other 65%) they will then need to obtain approval of City Council or the Henrico Board of Supervisors respectively.

Governor Northam got it wrong.  He should not have signed this bill.   His recommended restrictions are an acknowledgment that Virginians who live in the locations where these slots are proposed to be placed, were offered no opportunity to be part of the decision making process at any point along the way. Our citizenry was basically kept in the dark for months, until the opening day of the 2018 General Assembly session when details of this bill became public. What is most disturbing is that our own Virginia Racing Commission was fully aware of this initiative since June of 2017, and even helped assist with the passage of this bill, but never once made any attempt to inform the public of their actions. Not one time in 6 months.  Virginians that live in these communities deserve 100% control.

The solution to this is simple. In the 10 locations that have already passed referendums, we should require local approval to install even a single machine. Control of whether or not slot machines will be allowed in a specific locality should be the decision of the Virginians who live there and not left up to the out of state owners of Colonial Downs. 

Governor Northam committed a disservice to the people of this state when he allotted a number of slot machines to be installed without local approval. Now it's up to the VRC to restore that remaining 35% control back to these 10 localities so they will once again have 100% control of what goes on in their own neighborhoods. As it should be.