VIGL Granted 1-Year Racino License, Setting Stage For Revitalized Horse Racing on St. Croix

“It’s a day that we’ve looked forward to for a long time….we’re cautiously optimistic,” said VIGL Operations LLC’s Chief Financial Officer Andrew Dubuque, when invited to address the public following the Casino Control Commission’s decision to grant VIGL a license to operate a casino at the Randall “Doc” James racetrack on St. Croix.

Despite still having to contend with as-yet-unknown conditions that will be outlined in a forthcoming resolution from the VICCC, Thursday’s decision marks a key step forward for VIGL in a process that has been fraught with challenges.

“The applicants can now proceed with their next steps in complying with the licenses approved. The formal resolutions will be forthcoming as expeditiously as possible,” said VICCC Chair and CEO Marvin Pickering. With work on the racetrack having seemingly come to a halt for some months now, it is currently unclear when construction will resume. However, VIGL now has a casino to build on site as well, with the opening of both facilities – race track and racino – likely to occur simultaneously.

Starting in 2016, VIGL embarked on a project to reconstruct the tracks on both St. Croix and St. Thomas. Four years later, after stiff opposition from gaming interests on St. Thomas, the company signaled that it would abandon the horse racing agreement it had signed with the government, citing “years of interference and delays caused by government and private obstruction.”

VIGL signed a new deal with the government in 2022, breathing new life into the St. Croix racetrack reconstruction, but concerns arose when a slimmed down construction profile was submitted for planning approvals the following year.