Casino Gambling In Georgia Dead, For Now

Legislation that would have allowed casino gambling in Georgia is dead for the year.

Sen. Brandon Beach (R - Alpharetta) said he pulled the measure because he didn’t have enough votes to get the bill out of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee.

“Big issues like this take time. And so, we're just gonna have to come back next year,” Beach told reporters Monday. 

He’s already planning his next steps. Beach said he’d travel around the state later this year to drum up support for the measure from local chambers of commerce and Rotary clubs.

“I’m going...to try to create a grassroots effort to help folks tell their legislators around the state that this is a good thing for the state of Georgia," Beach said.

The bill would have allowed for two so-called “destination resort” casinos in Georgia: one in metro Atlanta, one elsewhere in the state. 

It would have funneled casino tax revenues to both merit and need based scholarships and to rural hospitals and broadband infrastructure.

The measure appeared to be on shaky ground last week when Beach cancelled a scheduled committee vote on the bill. 

He said at the time he didn’t have the votes because committee members wanted more transparency about how casino tax revenues would be spent.

Legalizing gambling in the state would require two different bills: one would set the rules for casinos, another would create a constitutional amendment referendum for Georgia voters to decide on.