      *  Whether or not we're the last element in the list
      */
     mx_internal var isLastItem:Boolean = false;
+
+    private var _useOpaqueBackground: Boolean = true;
+
+    /**
+     * Option to use an opaqueBackground property for this renderer. This can improve scrolling speed.
+     * Since opaqueBackground adds  space around the text proportional to the font's size,
+     * you might need to turn it off when using large fonts to avoid background overflow.
+     * @default  true
+     */
+    public function get useOpaqueBackground(): Boolean {
+        return _useOpaqueBackground;
+    }
+
+    public function set useOpaqueBackground(value: Boolean): void {
+        _useOpaqueBackground = value;
+        invalidateDisplayList();
+    }
     
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
     //

        down = (interactionStateDetector.state == InteractionState.DOWN);
        hovered = (interactionStateDetector.state == InteractionState.OVER);
    }
}
}
		{
			// If our background is a solid color, use it as the opaqueBackground property
			// for this renderer. This makes scrolling considerably faster.
            if (_useOpaqueBackground)
			     opaqueBackgroundColor = backgroundColor;
		}

        // Draw the separator for the item renderer
        drawBorder(unscaledWidth, unscaledHeight);

		opaqueBackground =  opaqueBackgroundColor;
    }
    
    /**
