- The Georgia Home Research Committee on Gaming met for the primary time this week
- The committee will make suggestions to the Common Meeting concerning gaming payments
- Georgia doesn’t presently have industrial or tribal casinos, sports activities betting, or parimutuel wagering
The Georgia Home Research Committee on Gaming, initiated by a Home decision permitted earlier this 12 months, held its first assembly this week on the Oconee County Administrative Constructing in Watkinsville.
The Atlanta skyline. A bunch of lawmakers in Georgia is learning whether or not permitting industrial casinos, sports activities betting, and parimutuel wagering within the state is in its finest curiosity. (Picture: Shutterstock)
The Gaming Research Committee is tasked with analyzing how the liberalization of sure types of industrial playing, as permitted by the individuals and enabled by the Common Meeting, would possibly profit the Peach State.
The nine-member bipartisan committee consists of Chair Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville) and Reps. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), Alan Powell (R-Hartwell), Matt Hatchett (D-Dublin), Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro), Chuck Martin (D-Alpharetta), Al Williams (D-Halfway), Holt Persinger (R-Winder), and Stacey Evans (D-Atlanta).
Certainly one of 16 Home examine committees this legislative offseason, with committees probing every little thing from marijuana to election procedures, the gaming group will make suggestions to the Common Meeting concerning casinos, sports activities betting, and parimutuel wagering by December 1.
Yearslong Dialogue
Georgia is one in all solely 5 states that don’t have industrial or tribal casinos, sports activities betting, or parimutuel wagering. The others are Alabama, Hawaii, South Carolina, and Utah.
Lawmakers in Atlanta have repeatedly mentioned payments and referendums searching for to finish the state’s playing prohibition other than the state-run lottery and sure small charitable video games.
We’ve been speaking about this situation since my hair was black,” stated Stephens, 71, a Republican who has supported gaming growth all through his practically three a long time within the state Home of Representatives.
Stephens chairs the Home Financial Improvement & Tourism Committee and has repeatedly backed payments to authorize casinos and sports activities betting. Williams is the president-elect of the Nationwide Council of Legislators from Gaming States. The group doesn’t promote or oppose gaming, however repeatedly meets to debate the right regulation of the business.
Powell, requested to present a historic abstract about playing legalization failures, defined to the committee and public in attendance that earlier examine committees on the matter have concluded that the legislature lacks the authority to legalize casinos or sports activities betting with no constitutional referendum permitted by voters.
The state structure doesn’t permit for playing,” Powell defined.
Powell, who served on a 2019 gaming committee, stated the Georgia Lottery, which advantages schooling by the HOPE Program (Serving to Excellent Pupils Educationally), has been a roaring success.
It doesn’t matter what somebody needs to say in regards to the evils of playing — there’s quite a lot of evils on this world — individuals wish to gamble,” Powell stated.
Ed Clark, president of EchoPark Speedway, which was identified for many years as Atlanta Motor Speedway, inspired the committee to advocate that the legislature provoke laws to conduct a on line casino referendum. Clark and Speedway Motorsports, which owns the monitor — dwelling to NASCAR’s Ambetter Well being 400 and Quaker State 400 — has expressed curiosity in constructing a on line casino vacation spot on the Hampton facility.
We’re trying to broaden our enterprise footprint by partnering with an skilled operator for a completely built-in, high-quality resort with a resort, on line casino, conference house, eating services, and amusement actions,” Clark testified.
“How would this profit Georgia? New enterprise means new jobs,” Clark stated.
Non secular Opposition
Georgia is squarely within the Bible Belt, and Mike Griffin, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s public affairs consultant, a mainstay in Common Meeting each time so-called “sin industries” are mulled, pleaded with the Gaming Research Committee to chorus from permitting what he believes is a morally unacceptable business.
Griffin added that, no matter morality, the “knowledge” proves that it’s “intellectually dishonest” to speak about the advantages of playing with out speaking in regards to the detriments.
You won’t trip a excessive ethical horse on whether or not you assume it’s proper or fallacious, however what in regards to the knowledge? What does it [gaming] have associated to economics? What about crime? What about dependancy?” Griffin requested.
Home Gaming Research Committee Chair Wiedower informed Griffin he would “love” to see his “ardour in different avenues, not simply in playing.”
The committee has not introduced when its subsequent assembly will probably be held, although Wiedower says it’ll possible be in direction of the top of August.