Initiated by a House resolution earlier this year, the Georgia House Study Committee on Gaming met for the first time this week at the Oconee County Administrative Building in Watkinsville.

The Gaming Study Committee is charged with examining the potential advantages for Peach State of liberalizing specific types of commercial gambling, as permitted by the General Assembly and supported by the populace.

Representatives Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), Alan Powell (R-Hartwell), Matt Hatchett (D-Dublin), Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro), Chuck Martin (D-Alpharetta), Al Williams (D-Midway), Holt Persinger (R-Winder), and Stacey Evans (D-Atlanta) are among the nine members of the bipartisan committee, which is chaired by Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville).

The gaming panel, one of 16 House study committees this legislative winter that are looking into everything from marijuana to voting procedures, will submit recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1 on parimutuel wagering, casinos, and sports betting. 

Years of Conversation

Only five states, including Georgia, do not allow sports betting, parimutuel wagering, or commercial or tribal casinos.  Utah, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Alabama are the others.

Atlanta lawmakers have frequently debated measures and referendums aimed at lifting the state's ban on gambling, with the exception of the state lottery and a few minor charity games.

"We’ve been talking about this issue since my hair was black,” said Stephens, 71, a Republican who has supported gaming expansion throughout his nearly three decades in the state House of Representatives.

Stephens has consistently supported legislation to legalize casinos and sports betting, and he is the chair of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee.  Williams is the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States' incoming president.  The group meets frequently to talk about how the gaming business should be regulated, but it does not support or oppose gaming.

When asked to provide a historical overview of gambling legalization failures, Powell informed the committee and the public that prior study committees on the subject had come to the conclusion that the legislature lacked the power to legalize casinos or sports betting without a voter-approved constitutional referendum.

"The state constitution does not allow for gambling,” Powell explained.

The Georgia Lottery, which supports education through the HOPE Program (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally), has been a huge success, according to Powell, who was a member of a 2019 gaming committee.

"No matter what someone wants to say about the evils of gambling — there’s a lot of evils in this world — people like to gamble,” Powell said.

The committee was urged by Ed Clark, president of EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway for many years), to suggest that the legislature draft legislation to have a casino referendum.  Clark has indicated interest in constructing a casino destination at the Hampton property, as has Speedway Motorsports, the track's owner and host of NASCAR's Ambetter Health 400 and Quaker State 400.

"We’re looking to broaden our business footprint by partnering with an experienced operator for a fully integrated, high-quality resort with a hotel, casino, convention space, dining facilities, and amusement activities,” Clark testified.

“How would this benefit Georgia? New business means new jobs,” Clark said.

Opposition to Religion

Mike Griffin, the public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and a regular at General Assembly whenever the so-called "sin industries" are discussed, begged the Gaming Study Committee to not permit what he considers to be an immoral industry. Georgia is firmly in the Bible Belt.

Griffin went on to say that the "data" demonstrates that it is "intellectually dishonest" to discuss the advantages of gambling without mentioning its drawbacks, regardless of morality.

"You might not ride a high moral horse on whether you think it’s right or wrong, but what about the data? What does it [gaming] have related to economics? What about crime? What about addiction?” Griffin asked.

He would "love" to see Griffin's "passion in other avenues, not just in gambling," said Wiedower, chair of the House Gaming Study Committee.

Wiedower said the committee's next meeting is probably going to be at the end of August, but the exact date has not been confirmed.