The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 7 attended by state and local leaders, senior executives from Churchill Downs Inc. and enthusiastic visitors from across Northern Virginia.

Crowds queued in long lines at the entrance, eager to begin their first experience at the $460 million resort, which has transformed a former landfill site into a sprawling gaming and entertainment destination.

“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 Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen, addressing the 100 local officials and community members gathered to witness the event. “We feel grateful to be here. We’re thankful for the opportunity, and every promise we make here, we’re going to keep, and we’re going to make a difference as best we can, not only to Dumfries, but to Prince William County and to the commonwealth as a whole.”

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen told attendees at The Rose's ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 7 about the love and labor his team has put into the two-year project.

The project has created 500 permanent jobs and is projected to generate $35.5 million in annual tax revenue. During construction, approximately 1,200 full-time jobs were created, officials said.

Reflecting on the site’s transformation, Carstanjen added, “This hasn’t been an easy project… This [site] has presented us with all kinds of technical and construction problems, things that our team plowed through in order to make this happen. For our team, the chance to convert this site into a new facility has been a labor of love.”

Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood said he believes The Rose marks a new era in Dumfries’ 275-year story and is the beginning of Dumfries' transformation into a bustling town.

“I know many of you have driven on I-95 and all y’all could see was this Potomac landfill rising up. It became a landmark, but it was a very different kind of landmark, one that we weren’t too proud of,” he said. “It started at sea level back in 1984, and by 2018 it had grown to nearly 230 feet high. The landfill just had become a part of our landscape that we were used to, a presence that many in this community dreamed of transforming into something meaningful. Well today, that dream has become a reality.”

From left: Dumfries Town Manager Tangela Innis, Virginia Racing Commission Member Jill Gordon-Moore, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matt Lohr, Churchill Downs Incorporated CEO Bill Carstanjen, Mayor of Dumfries Derrick Wood, General Manager of the Rose Bobbi Sample, Dumfries Town Councilman Tyrone A. Brown, Dumfries Town Councilman Shaun Peet, Del. Luke Torian (at podium), Dumfries Town Councilman Brian K. Fields, Dumfries Town Councilwoman Caetrina Peterson, CDI Vice President of Gaming Operation Jack Sours, Dumfries Vice Mayor Monaé Nickerson, Prince William Supervisor Andrea Bailey, Chair of the Virginia Racing Commission Stephanie Nixon and Senator Jeremy McPike at The Rose's grand opening celebration Nov. 7.

A 17,000-plus-square-foot gaming floor with 1,650 historical racing terminals

A 7-acre park with a playground, dog park and open fields, part of a larger 62-acre green space

Eight dining venues, including 1609 Steakhouse, Playbook Sports Bar and Grill and Market Street Food Hall

More than 100 hotel rooms

Over 2,500 parking spaces, meeting and event spaces and an entertainment and convention center

Future plans for the project include up to 150 more gaming terminals, 203 additional hotel rooms and a 40,000-square-foot entertainment center.

Virginia Del. Luke Torian, who represents the 24th District, was met with roaring applause as he praised the local Dumfries community as visionaries and painted a bright picture for the future.

“The Rose could have been built in Loudoun County. It could have been built in Fairfax County, but instead of going to Loudoun County or Fairfax, [Churchill Downs Inc.] came to a community of less than 6,000 residents, a small town with big vision,” Torian said. “We are experiencing here … that we can dream and we can dream big. You do not have to have a population of 100,000. Give me 6,000 people with a vision and then allow that vision to grow and to flourish, and look at what we have now in Prince William County.”

In addition to its gaming and entertainment offerings, another mission of The Rose is to contribute to the revival of Virginia’s thoroughbred racing industry. The resort will add 16 days of live racing to Colonial Downs’ 2025 racing season, funding purses to attract talent and support jobs across the state, officials said.

“We’ve had a storied past of horse racing and horse breeding and thoroughbred racing in Virginia, which has kind of diminished over the last several years, but Bill Carstanjen spoke about being able to bring all of that back to prominence again … and here we are today, two years later, with the opening of The Rose, seeing that we are indeed making that dream a reality for so many people,” said Matthew Lohr, Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, which oversees the Virginia Racing Commission.

He presented Carstanjen with a Virginia state flag, one that has flown over the state capitol, and expressed hope it would soon be flown over The Rose. “This is to say thank you for believing in Virginia. And I hope that you can fly this flag proudly and just every time you see it be reminded that Virginia is proud to have you as a partner.”

Bill Carstanjen (left) receives the state flag from Matthew Lohr, Virginia's secretary of agriculture and forestry, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Rose on Nov. 7.

According to The Rose General Manager Bobbi Sample, the company has made substantial investments to support Dumfries and Prince William County communities, pledging over $2.4 million in monetary and in-kind contributions to the town and local nonprofits, along with commitments to strong wages and local hiring.

“When guests come to The Rose they will find great food and entertainment, exciting games and smiling faces ready to welcome them to Northern Virginia’s premier gaming destination,” she said. “We are committed to being good neighbors and partners. We are proud to call Dumfries our home and to give back to this community that has so warmly embraced us.”

Bobbi Sample, general manager of The Rose, told visitors at the Nov. 7 grand opening she and her team are excited to welcome visitors to the new facility located of Interstate 95 in Dumfries.

Mayor to the town of Dumfries Derrick Wood reflected on the town's history and shares his optimistic vision for its future at The Rose's Nov. 7 ribbon-cutting.

Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for Virginia Matthew Lohr spoke to the state's legacy of thoroughbred racing, equine talent and dedicated spectators at The Rose's Nov. 7 ribbon-cutting ceremony.