RIDGELEY, W.Va. — Ridgeley Mayor Lynn Carr says when it comes to video lottery parlors, his town has reached capacity.
“We want to limit it because presently we have four businesses on the main drag that have lottery and another one moving in,” he told MetroNews Wednesday. “We’d like for it to be more of a small town than a gambling strip.”
The Ridgeley City Council is preparing to pass an ordinance which would limit the number of video lottery machines in the town to 35. Once the last business is up and running they’ll be at that level. Mayor Carr said the public seems to also be in support of the limit.
“The citizens and most of the council think we have enough,” he said. “We already have five establishments and we’re a town that’s less than a mile long.”
The establishments offering limited video lottery are the American Legion, VFW, a private club, and two normal business owners.
Operators may be hoping to draw gamblers from Maryland to play the local machines, but Carr said that plan will be short-lived since the nearby Rocky Gap Casino is now operational and lined with video lottery machines. Carr said the last permit approved for a gaming establishment in town received the license from the West Virginia Lottery over the objection of more than 250 who signed a petition to protest the establishment.
Carr said the council has delayed third reading of the ordinance to double check and make sure they can enact the ordinance legally.