Thurston said she does not endorse “the flashy lights, the lure that comes with an entertainment facility of this type,” which she believes does not represent the county’s small-town values.
“I don’t want this for the community I live in,” Thurston said.
If the referendum is in Rosie’s favor, she said the money raised against the referendum will go to a cause that will help those struggling with gambling addiction.
Rosie’s historic horse racing machines look like slot machines but are based on pre-run races or live horse racing via off-track betting, and the company currently operates more than 2,300 machines across the state, according to its website.
For every dollar that goes into the machine, the county receives 0.25% in tax revenue, Gomes said. A district with fewer than 60,000 inhabitants is limited to 150 games under state law, he said.
If the referendum goes by, Gomes said the facility would replace an existing portion of the Seminole Plaza shopping mall and it will take an estimated 12 to 18 months to complete the pending government-related permits. He said the mall would be greatly upgraded and new landscaping would be done to improve it if Rosie settled there.
Jeremy Bryant, Amherst County’s director of community development, said the department is awaiting the referendum before deciding on how to proceed with the zoning since the proposed deal is a first for the county.