Government

Bryan, VIGL Announce Start of Construction of Horse Racing Facility on St. Croix in 60 Days; St. Thomas Deal Nearing Completion

Governor Albert Bryan along with VIGL CEO Lance Griffith on Wednesday announced that an agreement between the government of the Virgin Islands and VIGL to construct and operate a horse racing facility on the site of the Randall "Doc" James Racetrack has been reached, with an agreement between VIGL, Southland Gaming and the government for horse racing in St. Thomas nearing completion. The new deal divides the contract signed between VIGL and the government under the Mapp administration in December 2016 in two parts, with the St. Croix portion essentially remaining the same while amendments must be made to the St. Thomas agreement followed by Senate ratification. The movement comes nearly five years after former Governor Kenneth Mapp signed the original contract, as the matter has been mired in court through a lawsuit filed by Southland Gaming in 2018. During the announcement, Mr. Bryan said construction was expected to commence in 60 days on St. Croix, though work on the facility is ...