ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Rockingham County is abuzz with conversation over a possible casino that could come to the western part of the county, and a vote to rezone 192 acres of farmland near Madison is scheduled for Monday evening.  

Just 25 miles away from Danville, Virginia, where a temporary casino recently opened, Reidsville notices people crossing state lines to gamble.  

Reidsville’s council went into a closed session this afternoon to discuss economic development, and when they emerged, the mayor was reluctant to talk about the casino.  

“We had a discussion about a potential economic development that might be here in the county,” Mayor Donald Gorham said. 

We asked him to confirm the meeting was about the possible casino.

“Casinos are not legal in North Carolina at this present time,” he said.

Casinos are legal just 25 miles away from Reidsville in Danville Virginia, where the new Caesar’s Danville earned $1.3 million in tax revenue for the city in July, according to its city council.

We asked Gorham to say if he supports a casino in Rockingham County.

“I am not authorized to say anything about that today,” he said. 

On Monday, the Rockingham Board of Commissioners will be authorized to rezone 192 acres of farmland near Madison. That rezoning could open the doors for slot machines.  

Recent community meetings have brought out hundreds of people in opposition to the plan.  

We asked Gorham if a casino would benefit Reidsville. “Possibly,” he said. 

Reidsville, a small city of about 15,000 people, doesn’t have many large job providers nearby, and some locals would like the empty streets to have more visitors.  

“I think it’s a good thing. It will be a good thing. I am from Louisiana, and we have it there, and I think it brings jobs,” said Rodney Corley, a local business owner. 

Others say they’re concerned about what could come along with a casino. 

W”hat we need to bring to Rockingham County and to Reidsville is high-quality good-paying jobs. We already have a relatively low unemployment rate here, but we need good jobs, and I don’t think the casino is going to bring those,” said Cindy Scarborough, a Reidsville resident running for city council.  

The vote to rezone happens Monday in Wentworth, and more than 1,000 people are expected to attend the meeting. Many of them are in opposition to the plan.