HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Those who enjoy betting on historical horse races will now be able to try their luck into the wee hours of the morning.
On Wednesday night, Hampton City Council voted 6-1 to allow Rosie’s Gaming Emporium to extend its daily operating hours to 8 a.m. to 4 a.m., in order to “accommodate more patrons over the course of the day.” They currently close at 2 a.m.
However with the change alcohol sales would still end at 2 a.m.
While Hampton’s outgoing police chief cautioned that “when bad things happen they usually happen after midnight” he also praised Rosie’s security team calling it “a very safe place.”
The Colonial Downs Group, which owns and operates the facility located at the Power Plant in Hampton, first opened the location in October 2019. It has 700 historical horse racing machines, as well as a restaurant and has been extremely popular, according to city staff.
According to the Hampton Police Department, since Rosie’s opened, officers have been called to the facility nearly 140 times, all for non-violent incidents. The majority of the calls were for larcenies.
Part of City Council’s original agreement with Rosie’s was to provide up to a minimum of seven security officers on property at all times. That will remain in effect.
Off-duty city police officers will also continue to be on site, mostly to “work the parking lot.”
“On a number of occasions during peak times … parking in the Power Plant has been an issue for adjacent businesses,” city planners say in their report to City Council.
It is not known when hours will officially change.
Since Rosie’s opened, data from the Virginia Racing Commission shows Hampton has received nearly $2 million in direct revenue from the gaming.