Summary:
- Opponents are known as Citizens for Good Growth in Rockingham County, Inc.
- The group is focused on the harms of casinos and gambling.
- The trip aimed to convince lawmakers to vote no on casino projects.
Casinos are possibly coming to North Carolina, and a group of opponents are hoping to stop any projects from coming to fruition. Citizens for Good Growth in Rockingham County. was created as a nonprofit to promote economic development in the area. They focus on educating public and government officials on the impact of development. With the casino project plans, the group feels that it will cause harm in society.
The group recently traveled to Raleigh to speak with lawmakers and hopefully convince them to vote against the legalized expansion of gambling outside of tribal lands. Republican leaders are drafting legislation, hoping that enough lawmakers will be on their side and vote no.
Moving Ahead with Casino Plans
In August, the plan for a casino on US 220 in Rockingham County moved closer to becoming a reality when the land where the casino would be placed was rezoned. The Board of Commissioners approved the rezoning, and opponents of the casino are not happy about it.
This week, Rockingham County’s Doug Isley stated during a press conference that no legislation should be passed until the public has had the opportunity to share their opinion and provide insight into the consequences of gambling in the state.
Rockingham County Sherrif Sam Page seems to be thinking the same as he runs for lieutenant governor. He was surprised that conservative Republican lawmakers were considering casinos and video lottery terminals for revenues. Little transparency has been provided in the meetings, and keeping such information from the public is not right.
Will the Casino Legislation Move Forward?
Several individuals running for office, including Page, went to the capital to speak to lawmakers about the casino plans. The House Republican Caucus was set to meet with individuals to see how much support was there for gambling legislation.
It is likely that the bill effort could go either way. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger says that he believes the casino proposal will advance as part of the state budget that is under investigation or not at all. Berger does not feel that a standalone bill will have any footing.
Those in favor of casinos in the state feel that it will be a strong revenue source for the state. Lawmakers have pointed out the Caesars casino in Danville, Virginia that is under construction as a reason why North Carolina needs to try and capture revenues before they go out of state as other new casinos pop up in neighboring states.
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