The state of Georgia makes yet another effort to introduce gambling to its region with the help of Republican State Rep. Ron Stephens who is planning to introduce a new bill as soon as the General Assembly has its new session start on 14th January 2019. Among the plans voiced by Mr. Stephens is the construction of casino resorts which would attract players with their offerings near Savannah and Metro Atlanta.
Florida is a neighboring state which could find the new locations rather tempting and players could make Georgia their new preferred gaming destination. The state of Mississippi is another state which is a fair rival for the player pool in the region. Biloxi and Tunica were the first cities to witness sports betting starting this Wednesday, which could, in turn, attract Georgia residents. This is something the state lawmakers strive to avoid at all costs. For the time being, there are three areas which could potentially witness the construction of casino resorts if the regulation passes, but they remain undisclosed, as more consideration would be necessary.
Every casino developer and operator which is willing to explore the new market would have to guarantee that its resorts would be able to provide work place for as many as 10,000 people from the community. The company would also have to invest some $1.2 billion in the region in order to facilitate the introduction of the said venue, as this could bring infrastructure improvements beneficial for more people. Tallying up the three casino resorts currently considered, this would mean a job for as many as 30,000 voters, as well as close to $4 billion of fresh cash invested in the state.
Even these figures could be an incentive enough for the approval of the proposed bill during the next General Assembly session at the beginning of 2019. It would give people the opportunity to cast their vote and decide whether or not these gambling offerings should be made available to the general public. Supporters claim that the hundreds of millions invested in the community would be utilized for education programs such as HOPE scholarships.
Atlanta Could Witness Casino Resort Construction
Las Vegas spirit would be lacing through the resorts, according to the plans and this is going to guarantee the overall success of the locations. According to previously conducted research across the state by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, voters have expressed support of casino venues and even an integrated resort offering premium experience. There had been a continuous push towards gambling regulation and the greenlighting of a set of rules which to oversee the field.
The last one took place towards the end of 2017 when Sen. Brandon Beach and Rep. Stephens proposed a bill striving to bring such resort to Atlanta and another area of the state. Savannah, Columbus, or Augusta were considered for the second location. The wording of the proposed bill made an effort to approach the matter in a careful manner and as it turned out “destination resorts” was used throughout it, instead of the phrase “casino resort”. The location in Atlanta was projected to cost some $2 billion to its potential developers, whereas the second one was estimated to call for $450 million.
Lawmakers are now backing the proposed idea and even the state Governor Nathan Deal has made it clear that he has warmed up towards legal gambling throughout the state. Currently, the state has established some of the strictest regulations which aim to completely eliminate gambling as a pastime and this status quo has been existent for many years now. The framework spans over activities to the liking of casinos facilities, sports wagering, poker, as well as other preferred racing offerings including greyhounds and thoroughbred horses.
The latter are usually available even in states which have a cold attitude towards gambling in general. Lottery and charitable or house-based gambling are the sole offerings available for players willing to give their luck a try. Prospectives of potential change are arising and the year 2019 is set to witness more development in this direction, generally moving towards mutually beneficial offerings for all parties involved.
