Revenue for historical horse racing (HHR) machines in Virginia catapulted 34 percent in October to $50.5 million (2025’s second-highest monthly gross), or 4.5 percent higher when adjusted for changes in the market.
The recalibration reflected the closure of the Little Rose in Dumfries (superseded by the 12-times-larger The Rose) on August 20. It also mirrored the opening of the Roseshire Gaming Parlor in Henrico County, near Richmond, on September 29. The October numbers were further augmented by an extra weekend day this year.
All those gambling halls are operated by Churchill Downs.
With win per unit per day of $281, The Rose led the Cavalier State with $14.4 million in its best month to date. This marked a sequential increase from August and September for the 1,651-device casino.
Roseshire made a dramatic debut, averaging $519 per slot per day for a total haul of $2.8 million, atop $500,000 for the last two days of September. The facility has 175 HHR and was built at a cost of $30 million-plus. J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Politzer cautioned, “We don’t underwrite this level of win/unit/day to sustain.”
Churchill Downs’s machine count in the Richmond area grew steadily from 1,086 in August to 1,199 by October’s end. According to Politzer’s investor note, Churchill Downs was in the process of recycling HHR from lower-yielding to higher-performing locations.
The Richmond HHR grossed $12.7 million, a seven percent boost from October 2024. However, win per unit per day slumped from an average of $476 million the year before to $341 per unit in October of this year.
The 486 terminals at Colonial Downs brought in $4.3 million or $285 per device per day. That was a 5.7 percent slippage from 2024.
Rosie’s in Hampton Roads fielded 700 HHR to the tune of $9 million. That represented $416 per unit per day, for a 6.9 percent escalation.
The 150 HHR at Rosie’s in Emporia yielded $2.1 million or a 14.1 percent jump from 2024. The devices averaged $460 per unit per day.
In Colinsville, the Rosie’s slot parlor grossed $400,000 from 37 terminals, a 6.4 percent decline. Its HHR averaged $309 per device per day.
The Rosie’s in Vinton saw $324 per HHR per day for a gross of $4.7 million. That was a 1.3 percent uptick for its 472 machines.