How to Win on Slot Machines at Rosie’s
BRISTOL, Va. — Lights flash and images twirl when money goes into the slot on the electronic console. The colorful display might show a player is a winner or encourage them to try again, a scene played out thousands of times daily from Abingdon to Yorktown. But the wins aren’t the same as in casinos. Rather, they are based on historical horse racing results, which makes Rosie’s an entirely different kind of gaming establishment.
The company has 2,686 Historical Horse Racing Entertainment (HHR) machines across the state that look, feel and play like traditional slot machines. But they are based on the outcomes of old horse races, which means players can win and lose just like they would at any other casino. For all practical purposes, casual gamblers wouldn’t even notice the difference.
While Rosie’s is not a full-blown casino, it does offer some table games and a sportsbook that accepts bets on off track races. It also has a sit-in diner that serves sandwiches (including an Impossible Burger for vegans), pimento grilled cheese, shrimp and crab rolls and chicken prepared one of three ways. All sandwiches are served with Rosie’s seasoned world-famous fries, and the menu has a few salads and three types of flatbread pizza.
Customers can also place bets on horse racing and other sporting events via simulcasting, which consists of video feeds from around the country. In addition to HHR machines, the facility has more than 100 electronic video poker games, plus keno and bingo. It is open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Rosie’s is a gambling parlor owned by Colonial Downs Group, which operates the Virginia racetrack and launched Rosie’s in 2019 after state lawmakers passed legislation allowing pari-mutuel betting at horse racing tracks. The company says it has already made direct monetary and in-kind donations totaling $2,350,000 and has logged more than 2,750 service hours in communities across the state. It is expected to generate more than $32 million in state and local taxes annually.
Rosie’s is currently building its sixth location in Emporia, with a 150-machine parlor set to open early next month, and it has begun construction on a new gaming resort in Dumfries, located within a Quality Inn hotel. A seventh site, a gaming resort in Collinsville, will open later this year. The companies’ guiding principles include service, quality and community. Those philosophies have allowed them to donate more than $2,350,000 and log more than 2,750 service hours in Virginia communities over the past three years alone. The company plans to continue those efforts in 2022. The company will also contribute a portion of its revenue to philanthropic causes in the communities it serves. It also will support the state’s COVID-19 pandemic relief fund. The corporation is the only gaming operator to donate to the fund, which was created by the General Assembly to help families affected by the disease.