Video gambling has been blamed for a 250 percent increase in armed robberies in Rockingham.

Police Chief Robert Voorhees made the finding in a report to the city council this week.

“The only significant increase we saw in violent crime in Rockingham in 2009 was armed robbery,” Voorhees said. “Basically, in almost every instance, these armed robberies were occurring in the video poker, video gaming or sweepstakes sites that are proliferating around Rockingham.”

He said the number of gambling businesses ballooned from “a couple in 2008 to well over a dozen right now. We’re seeing applications for new ones all the time.”

“It’s a high cash business,” Voorhees said. “They keep a lot of cash at the place, they stay open late. It’s just a real easy target, and they’re becoming the victims of violent crime.”

The police department reported 17 robberies in the city in 2009. There were 10 arrests.

“On at least two occasions the crimes originally reported as armed robberies turned out to be false reports, and the money was taken either by an employee or an accomplice of the employee,” the report said.

Voorhees briefly explained the legislative history surrounding video poker and said law enforcement is adopting “a wait-and-see approach.”

“These places are becoming a burden on law enforcement services, and are quickly becoming a public nuisance,” the report reads. “Cities across North Carolina are struggling with the issue of controlling them.”

At the conclusion of the report, Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump spoke up.

“You’re not just talking about families losing their life savings because they’re going into a machine,” Voorhees said. “You’re talking about people being held up at gunpoint, tied up and kidnapped and held against their will.”

Crump also said he had shared the information in the police report with North Carolina Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton during a recent visit to Rockingham.

Voorhees also told the council that personal injury traffic accidents were down by 24 percent in 2009. He said money from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program has begun to come in at a slower pace and is mostly being used for equipment purchases.

He did say the police department recently received a trailer that will be used for checkpoints in the city.

“What we’re hoping for is that we’ve made an impact, and we’ve sent the message that we’re not going to tolerate driving crazy and speeding in Rockingham,” Voorhees responded to a question from Councilman Travis Billingsley. “We’re hoping that even though we have a reduced presence, the reputation of enforcement will reinforce it.”

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.