A bill to bring slots-like betting machines to the former Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County passed the Senate with mild opposition on Wednesday.
House Bill 1609 by Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, had already passed the House and now goes to Gov. Ralph Northam.
Proponents in the Senate said it would help revitalize Virginia’s near-dead horse-racing industry, while opponents worried that it would lead to gambling among people who already don’t have much money to spare. The bill passed the Senate 31-9.
Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, said Virginia’s equine industry has all but left for Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Maryland.
