ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — State leaders have indicated they want to potentially bring new casinos to three counties here in North Carolina, including Rockingham County.

There is no actual bill to support or oppose the idea, but many people who live in Rockingham County are vocalizing their opposition.

Chis Rodenbough works and lives on the Camp Carefree property in Rockingham County. Camp Carefree is a nonprofit camp for children with chronic illness and special needs. 

“The kids need us. We’re providing a service that doesn’t just affect locally, you know, it goes all up and down the east coast, kids that come here,” Rodenbough said.

He’s been the property manager at the camp for the last 37 years.

“We have different camps each week for seven weeks during the summer. And then we have some additional things like children’s hospital for cancer camps. They have a weekend out here. We have a chili cook off,” Rodenbough said.

But bringing a casino to the area could affect the camp and its livelihood.

Backers of rumored legislation say it will bring new economic growth and business to the area. 

“This is not something that’s going to be reversible. It’s going to be detrimental to this camp and to the community and to the people who live here because gambling doesn’t bring out sweetness and light,” Rodenbough said.

The casino’s proposal has widely been discussed as part of the ongoing state budget talks. There is some concern over where a potential casino could be built, which is 60 feet from the camp’s entrance on 192 acres of land.

“We have some highway commercial and some light industrial, and people are accustomed to that. And folks need a livelihood as well. It’s just the magnitude of this. It’s too soon, it’s too large, it’s too loud. It’s dangerous,” Rodenbough said.

Rodenbough says he plans to speak out against what he feels is a decision already made by local leaders on the rezoning of this land into a casino. He hopes his words will make a change.

“We feel kind of defenseless,” Rodenbough said.

North Carolina currently has three casinos, which are operated by two Native American tribes. Legislators have become worried about state and local governments losing revenue to other states that are opening non-tribal casinos, like the one 25 miles from Rockingham County – the Danville Casino in Virginia.

Senate leader Phil Berger says he does believe it’s something that’s supported by a majority of the people that he represents.

“Some of the folks that have told me they’re opposed to it have told me that they’re opposed to it because of where it might be, that if it was over in Reidsville, it’d be just fine if it was someplace else in the county, be just fine. So I do think the location is animating some of the opposition,” Berger said.

The casino discussion is a part of the state budget negotiations, and could be one of several policy issues to make it into the spending bill.