Virginia’s House of Delegates overwhelmingly turned back another attempt to legalize wagering on already-run horse races Thursday amid concerns that passing the measure would doom ongoing negotiations over a transportation-funding package.
The proposal, which the House shot down twice earlier this year, would allow bets to be placed on historic horse races at the Colonial Downs racetrack near Richmond and off-track betting parlors across the state. Bettors would know information about the horses, jockeys and track conditions but would not know when or where the race had been run.
Advocates said Virginia could earn $300 million a year if the wagering was allowed, with most of the money going to transportation maintenance projects. But opponents feared that interjecting the large amount of money into the transportation talks would “throw a monkey wrench into very fragile negotiations,” said Del. Vince Callahan, R-McLean, who supported the proposal previously.
“I have voted for every kind of sin there is, but don’t muck up the transportation discussions with this last-minute bill,” Callahan said. “This could be a death knell to the transportation plan. We should wait until next year.”
The Senate has repeatedly approved the wagering this year, despite intense opposition to the plan in the House. On Thursday, the House voted 72-25 against the bill.
“If anyone thinks this is not the first step down the road to slot machines and casino gambling, you are fooling yourself,” said Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights.
Unsuccessfully trying to sweeten the proposal, supporters changed it so some of the state’s revenue would fund tourism promotion and to localities where the track and betting houses are located.
The transportation talks that Callahan and others are worried about continued Thursday morning and were scheduled to resume Thursday evening after the House and Senate finished long floor sessions. Differences between the House and Senate on the funding package, which center on whether to tap the state’s general operating fund for transportation revenue, need to be worked out before the scheduled end of the session on Saturday.
