The Virginia Racing Commission has adopted temporary regulations that will allow for the operation of up to 3,000 slot machine-like devices at Colonial Downs and a network of off-track betting parlors in the state, paving the way for the reopening of the New Kent racetrack. The regulations were adopted by a 3-0 vote at a commission meeting Tuesday, under the pressure of an Oct. 7 deadline imposed by Gov. Ralph Northam, who had requested that the commission set “reasonable limitations” on the number of machines allowed. The devices, which use the results of previously run horse races to determine payouts to winners, are called “historical horseracing machines.” The vote was unanimous despite misgivings by some commissioners about the 3,000-machine cap, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “I sort of agree with the governor somewhat in that you ought to start slow,” said commissioner I. Clinton Miller, according to the newspaper. “But you ought to have the ability to grow without going back and re-legislating.” The regulations, which were adopted under “emergency” rule-making protocols, will remain in effect for 18 months. In the meantime, the racing commission can consider amending the regulations before deciding on a formal adoption when the regulations expire in early 2020. Mark Hubbard, a spokesperson for the part owner of Colonial Downs, a Chicago-based group called Revolutionary Racing, said that the track will likely hold live racing fall 2019. Up to 700 historical horseracing machines will be installed at the track, Hubbard said, and those devices are expected to begin taking bets in the spring of next year. Colonial Downs last held a live horse race in 2013. The track surrendered its license the next year after the former owner, Jacobs Entertainment, could not reach a deal with horsemen on the number of live racing dates at the track. Revolutionary Racing reached a deal with Jacobs Entertainment to purchase Colonial Downs early in 2018, contingent on the legislature authorizing historical horseracing machines. Months afterward, the legislature passed a bill doing just that, but the legislation left it up to the racing commission to decide how many machines to allow in the state. The state’s horsemen have reached a deal with Revolutionary Racing for a share of the revenue from the devices, but officials for both sides have declined to reveal details of the agreement. The horsemen’s share will go toward purses at the track, both sides have said. Both have also said that live racing would not be financially viable without revenue from the devices. “We are going to make Virginia proud,” Hubbard said, in an e-mailed response to questions. Colonial’s operators will seek to install historical horseracing machines at five off-track betting locations in the state, Hubbard said. New Kent, Richmond, Vinton, Hampton, and Chesapeake are all slated to open some time next year. Earlier this week, the Richmond City Council approved the Richmond site, in a former Kmart building in the south end of the city. With 700 machines at the racetrack itself, Colonial’s operators will have 2,300 devices to allot among the other locations. The regulations approved Tuesday place restrictions on the number of machines that can be placed in locations based on the population of the locality, topping out at 700 terminals in the most populous areas of the state, such as Richmond. Hubbard said that the number of machines for each location is so far “to be determined.” Horsemen and Colonial’s operators had previously objected to the 3,000-machine cap, contending that the cap would be insufficient to capitalize on the demand for gambling, especially at locations near gambling-adverse neighboring states, such as North Carolina. Of course, that cap could be revisited in the early spring of 2020, at the 18-month expiration of the temporary regulations. “We appreciate [the] hard work of VRC and administration and will work within the emergency temporary regulations that have been approved,” Hubbard said. Historical horseracing machines have earned tens of millions of dollars for the owners of tracks where they are legal, such as in Kentucky and Arkansas.