Governor of Virginia signs gambling bill

The governor of Virginia signed a bill that allows new betting machines at Colonial Downs.

US.- Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, signed a bill on Monday that allows new betting machines at the Colonial Downs horse racetrack. The facility was recently shuttered and now awaits the betting machines to reactivate its operations.

The bill allows betting machines on the historical race terminals at Colonial Downs, which is located about 30 miles outside of Richmond, the capital of the state. The legislation includes a system that uses slots-style machines to allow players to gamble faster by betting on horse races that have already happened. The bill passed the General Assembly last month.

Opponents of the bill said that the measure could present the possibility of increasing gambling in Virginia, including casinos. However, the governor issued an executive directive on Monday that required the Virginia Racing Commission to place “reasonable limitations on the proliferation of gaming in Virginia” while developing regulations to carry out the new law. The bills call for 1.25 per cent of the revenue to be set aside for tax purposes, with 0.75 per cent going to the state and 0.5 per cent going to New Kent.

Last month, Northam said that Virginia should be open-minded to the possibility of featuring casino-style gambling. “If this is an opening to more casino gambling in Virginia, that’s something we’re going to have to discuss with legislators and communities, etc. But the way I see this moving forward is to reopen that track; and I think that’s a good thing for Virginia.”