The push to bring horse racing back to Colonial Downs has gotten a lot of attention. But what isn’t getting much attention is the cost many will pay to make that happen.

Let’s face it – horse racing isn’t exactly for the middle-class. Most people have never seen a horse race in person. Perhaps some people have tuned in to watch the Kentucky Derby on television. But while they may see a horse race for about two minutes, more time is spent watching well-to-do women wear fancy hats and beautiful dresses, and the equally well-to-do men wear expensive linen suits. The horses themselves can cost millions.  The bottom line is horse racing has become an expensive sport for economic elites and to some it is simply a rich man’s hobby.

And that’s fine, so long as they pay for their hobby.

But when the RTD recently reported that the new owners of Colonial Downs were planning on opening an off-track betting warehouse in the former Kmart on Jefferson Davis Highway and fill it with slot machines labeled historic racing machines, they made it very clear who they were targeting to pay for that rich man’s hobby. This won’t be an attraction for affluent tourists from across the country; it will be a casino-like warehouse for preying on the residents of an economically-depressed area of the city. Is that really how we want to bring horse racing back to Virginia?  I hope not.

Chanda Wallace