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Out of the shadows: Video gambling is back in Georgia

June 1, 2015 - The Lottery Corporation maintains a test lab filled with video game machines. In 2013 the Georgia Legislature moved oversight of coin operated amusement machines to the Georgia Lottery Corporation and said that all the machines would need to be connected to a central accounting system. That created a monumental task for the Lottery Corp., which by July is to have most of the machines hooked up. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

June 1, 2015 - The Lottery Corporation maintains a test lab filled with video game machines. In 2013 the Georgia Legislature moved oversight of coin operated amusement machines to the Georgia Lottery Corporation and said that all the machines would need to be connected to a central accounting system. That created a monumental task for the Lottery Corp., which by July is to have most of the machines hooked up. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM
By
July 10, 2015

Don't call them slot machines. Lawmakers say they are games of skill, or "coin-operated amusement machines" in the parlance of the industry.

Whatever the term, some 25,000 machines are now at licensed locations throughout Georgia, operating under new state rules aimed at squeezing out the rogue operators.

If you want to try your luck, be warned: You play at your own risk.

While the state imposed new controls on the gaming industry, such as limiting payouts to $5 per spin in merchandise, the Legislature didn't impose safeguards that other states require to protect players, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found.

You can read more about this kind of gambling and the headaches it's creating in Georgia in Sunday's AJC or on MyAJC.com. 

About the Author

Joyner is the deputy politics editor. He has been with the AJC since 2010 as a member of the investigations and politics team.

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