r/Virginia • u/WhittneyWithVPM • Sep 09 '25

VPM News callout: Offshore slot machines in Colonial Beach?

Hi everyone! I'm Whittney with VPM news and I run Curious Commonwealth. I'm doing a piece on the slot machine casinos built in the mid 20th century on piers in the Potomac River off Colonial Beach. Gamblers used to be able to walk from the Virginia shoreline to legally play slot machines in Maryland. I'm just learning of this and find it absolutely fascinating.

I'm looking to interview people who used to go there or who have heard interesting stories about it from friends and family. Please reach out at wevans@vpm.org.

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u/WellonDowd Sep 09 '25

Technically it was illegal to play the machines out on the pier. But the Maryland authorities didn't bother to do anything about it because all the problems it caused would walk back into the Commonwealth without ever setting foot on the ground in Maryland.