Northern Virginia's first gaming parlor to open in Dumfries with 95 games
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Rosie’s Gaming Emporium is set to open Friday, January 8.
The new gaming parlor is located at 18069 Triangle Shopping Plaza and is the first in Northern Virginia. The 19,000 square feet facility will accommodate up to 134 people on opening day, 30% fewer people than it would if Gov. Ralph Northam had not instituted capacity restrictions due to the coronavirus.
The parlor will open with 95 games, including pari-mutuel video slots. The outcomes of which are tied to some 90,000 records of previously-run horse races. Some are penny games with jackpots over $100,000.
The Dumfries gaming facility, which is tied to Colonial Downs, the state’s only horse track, located just outside Richmond, also includes an off-track horse betting center.
There’s a cafe inside that has a total of 16 seats, where a $14 bacon will buy a bacon cheeseburger. A chicken sandwich and barbecue sandwiches sell for $10 each. A bar on the main floor of the gaming parlor sells alcohol.
Hand sanitizer stations are spread throughout the facility, which has gaming machines tightly packed into every corner. A freestanding, computerized machine at the entrance is used to scan patron’s foreheads to take their temperatures.
Private security guards and officers from Prince William and Dumfries police departments will be used to secure the gaming parlor and the parking lot. Newly installed lighting and security cameras will aid in security efforts.
A Prince William police officer was posted at the front door Tuesday during a specially-arranged media Preview event for the gaming center. It was an extra shift for the officer, who signed up to work on his regularly scheduled day off work.
Triangle Shopping Plaza is home to several businesses and a Prince William County Public Libary System branch. Parking will be limited, as more than half of the 300 available parking spaces at the shopping plaza are already in use.
“We have enough space out there now, so we don’t anticipate a problem,” said Rosie’s general manager Rick Casagrande. “When the COVID restrictions go away, we might start to have some issues.”
Rosie’s in Dumfries is the fifth location to open under the Rosie’s brand name. Other locations, which opened in 2019, include one at Colonial Downs race track, in Richmond, in Vinton, just outside of Roanoke, and in Hampton Roads.
The Dumfries location is the first of its kind in Northern Virginia, and in a small way, is expected to compete with the MGM casino at National Harbor, Md.
Colonial Downs invested heavily during the November 2019 General Election, plastering the town with signs urging town residents to vote yes to a referendum that would allow the gaming parlor to open in the town.
A total of 468 people voted for the measure, causing it to pass with more than 60% of the vote, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
A total of 120 people will work at the gaming parlor, making an average salary of $42,000, the company says. It expects the facility will generate about $4 million in taxes each year for the state, with about $1 million going to Dumfries.
