The special study committee that was ostensibly created to study ways to save the HOPE scholarship and quickly turned into a study committee on legalizing gambling in Georgia has issued its final report.
You can get your copy here: HOPE Preservation Report. Or simply read it here:
Bottom line: The committee, made up of House members officially but unofficially expanded to include senators, did not make specific recommendations. Instead, it gives a detailed analysis of House Bill 677 by Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah.
The chairman of the Economic Development Committee's bill suggests up to six casinos in five regions. It has a companion measure, House Resolution 807, that would ask voters to amend the Constitution to allow casinos. HB 677 would establish the guts of the program.
The AJC's exclusive pre-session poll found that 62 percent of Georgians support legalizing casino gambling.
Supporters of the idea on Monday said they would push first on the resolution and save the enabling legislation for 2017.
The study committee estimates Georgia is losing up to $346 million a year to casinos in other states, as Georgians cross borders to play. Here's the key paragraph in the report:
Viewed from both the perspective of an destination-style resort in Atlanta as well as the smaller regional casinos that have been proposed throughout the state, presenters emphasized that Georgia was a strategically sensible location for gaming in terms of population density, the accessibility of Atlanta, current and future tourism potential, and the abundance of cultural and entertainment venues already existing throughout the state. When viewed regionally, it was acknowledged that only Florida could possibly compete with Georgia for a billion dollar commercial casino gaming project.
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