Industry officials received a cool reception Thursday from Gov. Nathan Deal despite a continued push by backers to legalize gambling on horse racing in Georgia.
With lawmakers set to reconvene in January, former Breeders' Cup board Chairman Bill Farish and Nick Nicholson, president and CEO of Kentucky's Keeneland Association, made the visit to pitch the industry's likely effects on Georgia's job growth and economy. They met first with a handful of lawmakers before meeting privately with the governor.
Deal, however, told them "he wouldn’t support any effort to expand gambling in Georgia," Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said.
His opposition is not likely to squelch the idea. State Rep. Harry Geisinger, R-Roswell, who arranged the meeting, has said the measure would bring in new revenue for popular programs -- such as the state's HOPE college scholarship program, pre-K classes and trauma care -- without raising taxes.
Geisinger's resolution, currently before the House, has bipartisan backing but has not yet received a floor vote. The resolution would allow a public vote on amending the state constitution to allow parimutuel betting. It requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass and ballot approval by voters -- with no requirement to get the governor’s signature.
Nicholson, whose company includes a thoroughbred racecourse and horse sales, said Keeneland holds races for three weeks each in April and October but operates year-round, hosting everything from horse shows to private events such as weddings. He said horse sales have grossed more than $400 million annually, which he touted as a benefit to rural communities where horses are raised and trained.
Farish said metro Atlanta specifically has good weather and accessible infrastructure -- including good transportation, hotels and restaurants -- to support a racecourse. Those things matter to pre-eminent organizations such as the Breeders' Cup, which every year hosts two days of championship racing at a revolving series of racetracks across the nation. Farish said the organization has had discussions about finding a permanent home.
"If wagering passed here and if you take advantage of working with the Breeders' Cup ... you could literally design the seating that would maximize how much you could charge for tickets," said Farish, who remains a member of that organization's board but was not speaking on its behalf. "I can't tell you the Breeders' Cup would come here. But it would almost make it hard not to."
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