Tuesday was a tough night for Churchill Downs in Virginia.
The multistate gaming and horse-racing company, best known for its ownership of the Churchill Downs racetrack where the Kentucky Derby is held, put millions of dollars this campaign season toward getting voters to back two ballot measures that would further expand its gambling operations in Virginia.
If successful, one referendum would have allowed horse racing-themed slot machines in the city of Manassas Park, permission Churchill Downs needed to open its eighth Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Virginia. Another would have approved the construction of a Richmond casino that would have been jointly owned by the company and media conglomerate Urban One.
