Atlanta clan has ties to casino firm

One of Atlanta’s wealthiest families can trace its bloodline to Delaware and a company that wants to operate a casino at Underground.

R. Randall Rollins, the 77-year-old chairman of Atlanta-based Rollins Inc., is on the board of Dover Downs.

The company has a casino, luxury hotel and a horse-racing track in Delaware, and has a letter of intent to operate a similar casino at Underground Atlanta if approved by the Georgia Lottery board.

In Atlanta, the Rollins family is known for its diverse holdings, including Orkin, a pest control company, and boat maker Marine Products Corp. The family has been a supporter of Emory University: The Rollins School of Public Health is named for family patriarch Wayne Rollins, and son Gary Rollins is on the board.

A Peachtree Road Methodist Church building also bears the family name.

In Delaware, the family is known for Randall Rollins’ late uncle, John Rollins, who was the Republican lieutenant governor from 1953 to 1957. Two of John’s sons also serve on the Dover Downs board: John W. Rollins Jr. and Jeffrey W. Rollins.

Randall Rollins declined to comment for this story.