'Landfill To Landmark': Kentucky Derby Owner Opens PWC's The Rose Gaming Resort

DUMFRIES, VA — Horse racing, a gaming floor, dining and entertainment are all part of a new resort open in the Interstate 95 corridor of Prince William County.

The Rose Gaming Resort held its grand opening Thursday in the Town of Dumfries with local and state officials. Transformed from a former landfill property, the resort provides a gaming floor with 1,650 historical horse racing machines, eight restaurants and bars, over 100 hotel rooms, live entertainment, 2,500 parking spaces and a seven-acre public park.

"This is a transformation from a landfill to a landmark, an achievement we can all be proud of," said Mayor Derrick Wood at the ribbon cutting Thursday. "The Rose isn't just a gaming resort. It's going to be a sense of identity for our town."

The resort is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated, which is best known for running the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs also has a Rosie's Gaming Emporium location in Dumfries. The resort estimated it will bring an estimated $11 million in annual tax revenue to the Town of Dumfries and $6.7 million to Prince William County.

"Churchill Downs Incorporated is thrilled to deliver a destination resort that will be a major economic contributor to the Town of Dumfries and Northern Virginia," said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated. "Along with our local hiring commitments and strong family-supporting wages, we are committed to continued investment in Prince William County as we are proud to do for all of the communities in which we operate in Virginia."

According to the resort, The Rose is not technically a casino and does not have game tables and traditional slot machines. Instead, it has historical horse racing games that appear like traditional slot machines. Casinos are only permitted in specific places as determined by Virginia law, and those do not include the Town of Dumfries and Prince William County.

As part of the expansion of horse racing terminals, which are used for horse racing bets, the Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent, Virginia plans to add 16 days of live racing to its 2025 racing season. Carstanjen said revenues benefit the local community and state, and a small portion of revenues will go to the agricultural Thoroughbred horse industry.

The resort has several restaurants on site, including a selection of quick bites, an upscale steak and seafood restaurant and a sports bar and grill. Only those 21 and older can access restaurants on the gaming floor — the upscale restaurant and sports bar.

With the project, Churchill Downs committed $2 million toward a new Dumfries community center and has donated $400,000 to Prince William County nonprofits since 2021. The resort also is cleaning and redeveloping the former landfill into 79 acres of green space for the Dumfries community. The mayor said the park could potentially provide hiking trails, sports fields, playground and dog park.

"We're actually taking a landfill here, tapping it and turning it into green space with a public park and also constructing this large [historical racing machine] facility," said Carstanjen.

Officials were optimistic about the vibrancy the new resort brings to the area.

"This is just the beginning. We see the Rose thriving as a place that draws people to Dumfries, encouraging visitors to experience the unique character of our town," said Wood. "We hope that some of those visitors will see Dumfries not only as a place to visit but a place that they can call home."

"Look at what we have now in Prince William County," said Del. Luke Torian (D-Prince William). "Do not underestimate what can happen when people have a vision, when people dream and when people work together. When we work together, we produce public and private sector government working together. And when we work together, we produce an awesome vision to the town of Dumfries, to the Commonwealth of Virginia, to Prince William County."