Casino owner says gambling in Georgia could help send kids to college

Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts International, speaks to members of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016, in Atlanta. It is the start to a campaign by pro-casino forces to pitch Las Vegas-style gambling as a potential new revenue stream to aid the HOPE Scholarship program. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts International, speaks to members of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016, in Atlanta. It is the start to a campaign by pro-casino forces to pitch Las Vegas-style gambling as a potential new revenue stream to aid the HOPE Scholarship program. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

The debate about casino gambling in Georgia returned in a big way.

On Monday, the Chairman and CEO of casino and hotel giant MGM Resorts International told metro Atlanta business and civic leaders that Las Vegas-style gambling would be an economic engine for the state.

MGM chief Jim Murren’s remarks may preview a renewed — and still uphill — effort in the state legislature to legalize casino gambling.