Colonial Inaugurates Account Wagering in Virginia

Colonial Downs announced July 13 it received a license from the Virginia Racing Commission and immediately began its "Colonial Downs PhoneBet" account wagering operation. It is the only licensed operation in the state.

Under the revenue plan, horsemen will receive 50% of the net proceeds from Colonial Downs PhoneBet for the Virginia purse account. The track's Thoroughbred meet, now under way, concludes July 26.

Virginia residents can wager by telephone or the Internet. Races can be viewed on streaming video online, and customers of First Commonwealth Cablevision can watch the races on television.

"We are very excited to be able to introduce this new service to our customers," Colonial Downs president Ian Stewart said in a release. "This gives us an opportunity to reach a lot of new customers in parts of the state that are not serviced by our Off-Track Racing Centers. The additional purse funds will bolster our live racing program."

According to the track's Web site, the account wagering operation is managed by The Racing Channel, or oneclickbetting.com, which hubs through Oregon. The Racing Channel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenwood Racing, owner of Philadelphia Park and operator of PhoneBet in Pennsylvania.