While opponents to building a massive casino complex on US 220 in Rockingham County suffered a major set back on Monday, Aug. 21, the battle is far from over.
On Monday, Aug. 21, the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to rezone the 192-acre parcel along US 220 just north of the Guilford County line to Highway Commercial, a zoning district that would allow casinos.
But under North Carolina law, gambling casinos are not allowed except for the three Indian gaming casinos on tribal land.
For a casino to become a reality in Rockingham County, the North Carolina legislature has to pass legislation that would legalize gambling casinos. No such bill has been introduced in either house of the North Carolina General Assembly.
However, it is widely thought that legislation legalizing casino gambling in three counties – Rockingham, Anson and Nash – will be included in the state budget bill.
The Republicans have veto-proof majorities in both the state House and state Senate – but only by one vote. That means for the Republicans to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, all the Republicans in the state House and Senate have to vote in favor of the override.
Placing legislation to legalize casino gambling in the budget bill would give Republican legislators some “cover” in voting in favor of the bill, which means they could say they weren’t in favor of legalizing casino gambling but the overall budget bill was so good they couldn’t vote against it.
But placing the legislation in the budget bill also means that one Republican representative or senator could prevent the Republicans from overriding the governor’s veto, if Cooper does in fact veto the budget.
It’s complicated. Once the legislature passes a budget and sends it to the governor, Cooper has three choices. He can sign the bill into law. He can veto the bill and send it back to the legislature, where a vote of 60 percent in the House and in the Senate is needed to override the veto. Or Cooper can do nothing and, after 10 days, the budget would become law without his signature.
So there are still a lot of pieces of the puzzle that have to fall into place before building a casino in Rockingham County is possible.
I seriously doubt that “King” Cooper would veto the “Casino” bill, so if it is included in the budget, the criminals will win.
If I recall, it was the Democrats who passed through the lottery by going at midnight while enough people who were against it were away. So, unless they are changing their tune, Democrats wanted gambling to bring in more money.
It will be interesting if they go the opposite way just because the other party is for it.
PS: I don’t gamble (at least not in that sense. I have been on an airplane, etc., lol.)
What is all the fuss about, there is already a casino within the state and the sun still comes up in the mornings. There is also one just across the state line in Danville and as far as I know, the sun still comes up there every day as well. People can buy lottery tickets almost anywhere in North Carolina today. Online sports betting starts in January 2024 in North Carolina. Like it or not, gambling has been and will be here casino or not. If someone decides they want to spend a couple of hundred dollars on the slot machines maybe they can afford it maybe they can’t, but they can also spend that much or a lot more for a seat at a concert, or some other form of entertainment at the Coliseum or Tanger Center…maybe they can maybe they can’t, but for some reason no one gets all worked up over that.
But, the bulk of local casino gambling customers earn low incomes or are retired. And yet, the poorest customers make casino gambling a weekly habit while the rich don’t.
And the Rich don’t gamble a significant portion of their income.
Local-based parasitic casinos double the amount of problem gamblers in a 10 mile radius, jacking up home foreclosures and domestic violence. This burden on the local economy harms the poor disproportionally… you cannot want to bring this industry to our communities?
If nothing else, consider your dropping property values near casinos according to the National Association of Realtors. Those reduced tax dollar generators circle back to harm the host county. But do any of the current commissioner live in Madison?
I have never seen such an upstanding, Patriotic group of Americans in the public comment before their paternal white-headed commissioners: Their very ‘respectful’ commissioners. The guile implicit in their deferent behavior while simultaneously planning to vote for re-zoning regardless of how reasonable their constituents were, was biblical.
The first 9 speakers, Jeff, Mark, Kelly, Doug, Chez, Brad, Sharon, Brittany and Ryan, were deeply concerned about the health of Rockingham county, respectful toward the commissioners, connected and invested in the Madison community and their political system. Like a dream team of Mothers, fathers, workers and leaders, they sang a similar tune, “this will harm me, my family and my community. Please don’t let this Casino come here”. And yet not a single Commissioner voted to deny the Casino imposition.
There could be no more respectful, heart-felt pleas from a group of 9 citizens. I’m proud to know I’m in their neighborhood here in Alamance County. I look forward to supporting their cause and seeing it grow to protect Rockingham, Alamance and the entire state of NC from Casino intrusion.
In case you don’t have it, here is the link to this exhibition of community strength and political failure.
https://youtu.be/QDFuiRWg6gQ