A new strategy to legalize horse racing in Georgia is gaining traction. But it still faces long odds to overcome opposition from Gov. Nathan Deal and other Republican leaders.
A Senate committee Wednesday narrowly approved a proposal to legalize pari-mutuel wagering after about an hour of debate.
Senate Resolution 135, sponsored by state Sen. Brandon Beach, takes a different tack than previous attempts to allow betting on horse racing.
This measure's backers say they've sworn off casino gambling, used by some racetracks in other states to drum up business, and would instead embrace Internet wagering. It also tests the issue in the Senate rather than the House, where similar proposals have stalled.
Because the proposal is a constitutional amendment, it requires a two-thirds vote of approval by lawmakers in both chambers. That daunting threshold is also seen as a benefit by supporters. Deal, who is staunchly opposed to the expansion of gambling, has no veto power over constitutional amendments.
Even if it survives a Senate vote, it faces a much tougher fight in the House, whose leader David Ralston has long echoed Deal in opposing a gambling expansion. A majority of voters would then have to approve horse racing in a 2016 ballot referendum.
Beach's proposal would funnel some proceeds to fund the popular HOPE scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs. Another portion would go to support Georgia's equine industry.
Beach, R-Alpharetta, pitched it to the Senate Regulated Industries Committee as an economic development tool.
"This is about jobs and the creation of an industry in the state of Georgia," he said.
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