Despite a last-minute push, casino gambling legislation appears to be dead in the Georgia legislature, which ended its most recent session on March 30. A casino gambling bill, HB 158, offered by state Rep. Ron Stephens did not make it out of the House Regulated Industries Committee. This updated version of a previous House bill would have allowed four gaming licenses instead of the original two. “With the previous bill, we’ve eliminated the opportunity for certain places around the state to even be part of the game, if you will. No pun intended,” Stephens said.
State Rep. Billy Mitchell attempted to call a vote but the committee took no action. The bill did not meet the deadline to move on to the Senate this year. Despite the odds, Stephens was confident his bill could pass the committee. “We really are looking for a high-end investment for tourism. We got three days. Magic happens in three days. So, you never know,” he said.
The Senate gambling bill, SB 79 sponsored by state Senator Brandon Beach, died in committee last month. State Senator Rick Jeffares, chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee, told Beach “ the opposition was overwhelming so he told me there would be no hearing.”
SB 5, which spelled out how casino revenue would be divided among the HOPE scholarship and other educational programs, was to be considered by the House Appropriations Committee on March 30. Many were watching to see if any new amendment added casino language to the bill.
According to a poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal Constitution in January, 56 percent of registered voters in Georgia support legalizing casinos and 38 percent oppose it.
