Are Voters Ready for Gambling in Georgia?

MGM Resorts International are hoping that state legislators in Georgia will follow neighboring Maryland’s lead by legalizing up to six casinos as tomorrow’s committee hearings begin at the state capital in Atlanta.

Georgia is one of the few states in the union which has no form of casino gambling at present, but MGM – who are currently building the $1.3 billion MGM National Harbor Casino in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. – have already scouted potential sites for a similar $1bn construction.

The casino giants have engaged a high-profile team of lobbyists and consultants to help push the Georgia gambling bill, which the Fortune 500 company themselves helped to design. Atlanta is seen as a ‘juicy target’. With a large airport, a well-oiled convention industry, and one of the biggest metro areas still without ‘Vegas-style’ gambling, there is huge potential should the pro-gambling lobby succeed.

Maryland’s decision to increase its casino and gambling operations was partly owing to its need to fund the education sector without raising taxation, and this factor will weigh heavily on Georgia’s legislators. In addition, the casinos in Maryland have added thousands of decently-paid jobs to the area (about 3600 jobs expected from MGM’s concerns their alone) which could help to sway the Atlanta discussions.

On the negative side, ‘gambling addicts’ have increased 4-fold in Maryland over the past 2 years, fueling opposition to MGM’s Georgia plans. However, one prominent faith leader has already stated that she is “resigned” to the fact that casinos will be coming to Georgia. “You already opened that door” said Beth Harris, president of the Georgia Christian Coalition, and referring to the lottery. “You can’t close it.”

Both Governor Nathan Deal, and House Speaker David Ralston, have indicated that a debate on gambling legislation is necessary, despite their opposition to the plans. Atlanta’s Mayor, Kasim Reed, has also stated that although he opposes casinos in Atlanta “it would be fiscal malpractice” not to meet the with the gambling industry’s leaders.

With hundreds of millions of dollars being spent in neighboring states, the casino backers of MGM and other interested parties will be looking to convince legislators of the financial appeal of having Georgia as a destination market instead.

The proposed legislation will not be an easy or quick process as Georgia requires several different steps of public scrutiny and voting before any implementation of new laws.