Exclusive: Bills would legalize casino resorts in Georgia

[Suzanimal]

We have the GA Lottery to benefit HOPE, now they're talking casinos, but don't you dare gamble to make a few bucks for yourself.:mad::rolleyes:


http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?470929-Police-raid-Alpharetta-pizza-bar-for-alleged-March-Madness-gambling&highlight=gambling




Legislation that would open the door to up to six casino resorts in Georgia will be introduced in the state House on Thursday.
The measures, both by Economic Development Committee Chairman Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, would generate $250 million a year to support the HOPE scholarship, according to a briefing paper obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The bill, and its required proposed constitutional amendment, are not expected to pass this year but, instead, will begin a conversation that supporters hope leads to the amendment being on the statewide ballot in November 2016.

“The tourism destination casino has been way over due to get tourists into Georgia and their dollars into Georgia to fund higher education and pre-k,” Stephens told the AJC.

Should it pass, local governments would have the option of asking their voters to allow a casino to be built. The state would be divided into five zones and no more than six casino licenses would be allowed, each overseen by the Georgia Lottery Corp.

To prove themselves committed and capable of pulling off the kinds of resorts envisioned, casino developers would be required to invest $1 billion in the Atlanta area casino and $200 million for a license in other parts of the state.

Legalizing casino gambling is not a new effort in Georgia. A recent effort to build a casino resort in DeKalb County has fizzled. Past proposals to build casinos in Underground Atlanta or elsewhere ran into fierce opposition from the Georgia Lottery board or Gov. Nathan Deal, among many others.

Supporters of Stephens’ plan hope their effort is met with more support. The help build backing, casino and entertainment giant MGM commissioned a poll by McLaughlin & Associates — a top pollster for Georgia Republican leaders — that found nearly 60 percent of Georgians support legalizing casinos to benefit the HOPE scholarship.

The poll, taken in January, found that 57 percent of poll respondents would vote to amend the constitution to allow casino resorts to benefit HOPE. That includes 72 percent of Democrats, but only 47 percent of Republicans. Still, a plurality of Republicans support the idea, as only 43 percent said they were opposed.

Efforts to reach officials with MGM were not immediately successful. The company, however is already building an $800 million casino rsort in Massachusetts and the $1.2 billion MGM National Harbor outside Washington, D.C.

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/exclusive-bills-would-legalize-casino-resorts-in-g/nkfSW/

[Suzanimal]

Are Georgia lawmakers willing to gamble on casinos and horses?


Casinos and horse racing could be the latest gamble by Georgia lawmakers trying to grab more cash for government-sponsored college scholarships and education programs. But bringing Las Vegas-style games and a legal opportunity to bet on four-legged animals still has its fair share of opponents in the Peach State.

Three months of testimony kick off Monday and Tuesday at the Capitol, with recommendations due by Dec. 1 about whether expanded gambling opportunities in Georgia could pay off or break the bank.

Members of joint House and Senate committees studying the issue are charged in part with seeing how much money the effort — which would essentially legalize casino gaming and parimutuel betting on horse racing so that the state may tax it — could raise. They are also expected to focus on the economic development opportunities the effort may bring as well as potential social effects often cited by opponents.

“I don’t know of anyone who would think, ‘Wow, if we got casinos, we could reduce sex trafficking,’ ” said Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Convention, which is staunchly opposed to a gambling expansion here and is the largest religious group in the state (counting some 1.3 million members).
Any gambling expansion in Georgia would be expected to boost revenue for popular education programs across the state, including early childhood pre-k programs and the HOPE college scholarship program, which has helped more than 1.7 million Georgians pay for college since its inception in 1993. The programs are popular but have struggled financially to keep up with both needs and demand, despite record profits from the Georgia Lottery that currently funds them.

“I think it’s key that it’s about education and the preservation of the Hope scholarship,” said state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, who is heading the Senate’s study committee and has openly touted what he thinks will be economic benefits from businesses that could open or relocate here under any new proposal.

Business interests began months ago touting the thousands of jobs they say the effort would create in Atlanta and elsewhere. Supporters who want a constitutional amendment to legalize casino gambling put before Georgia voters as early as 2016 also say local residents would have control — via the ballot box — whether to put out a welcome mat.

Groups as influential as the Georgia Chamber acknowledge a stake in the outcome.

“We are closely following the work of the committee,” chamber spokeswoman Keisha Hines said, adding that the chamber also appreciated the leadership of House study committee Chairman Matt Ramsey, R-Peachtree City, “on this vitally important issue.”

“Securing the future of Hope is critical for the long-term sustainability of Georgia’s workforce,” Hines said.

Opponents, however, said lawmakers would miss the point of only focusing on business interests.

“We think it’s an issue when they’re putting money over morality. That’s never a good thing for children who they say they want to help,” the Baptist Convention’s Griffin said. “It would be a level of gambling the state has never had before, and I can’t see any amount of money justifying it.”

Committee’s work to continue beyond this week

State Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, a member of the study committee, said the panel will seek as much input as possible. That includes at least six more days of meetings, including some expected to be held near Savannah — one possible target for expansion. But, Smyre said, he also views the question of whether to allow casino gambling as an economic development issue.

“It’s a tough issue,” Smyre said. “After all, it has to go before the voters. This is the first step in trying to see what is possible, what the future may hold.”

Smyre isn’t sure whether that future includes casinos.

“It remains to be seen,” he said. “I’d like to see us go in the direction of trying to have the industry in Georgia. I’d also like to see it tied to HOPE in some fashion.”

Smyre likens the committee’s work to that of a similar panel that studied transportation funding last summer. That committee, which Smyre also served on, helped set the basis for passage this year of a landmark bill that is expected to raise $1 billion a year for new roads and bridges.

“I’m eager to learn more about it, the pros and the cons,” he said.

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