If the Georgia Legislature Passes a Casino Bill, MGM Resorts Hopes to Build a $1 Billion Casino in Atlanta
Supporters of a casino initiative in the state of Georgia believe they can get a referendum on the ballot in 2016. Legalized gambling would mean companies like MGM Resorts would try to build billion-dollar resorts in Atlanta and Savannah, while funding the HOPE Scholarship Program.
Those supporting expanded gambling in Georgia hope to borrow a strategy used to pass an enabling bill on the sell of beer, wine, and spirits on Sundays.
2011 Sunday Alcohol Sales Laws
In 2011, proponents of Sunday alcohol sales pushed through a bill which gave the decision to local communities. State Sen. John Bulloch (R-Ochlocknee) introduced a bill allowing local counties to approve or disapprove, while Senate Majority Leader Chip Rodgers (R-Woodstock) cosponsored and pushed the bill through the Senate.
The new law, which was opposed strongly by then-Gov. Sonny Perdue, allowed politicians to pass the buck without directly supporting activities many Georgians deemed immoral. For instance, Sen. Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville) said he generally frowns on drinking, but was willing to let locals make the decision. At the time, Ginn told the Athens Banner-Herald, “I’m not a proponent of Sunday sales, but at the same time I’m a proponent of local communities deciding.”
Local Communities Would Have the Power
Therefore, proponents of a casino bill would want to allow local counties to decide whether gaming laws should be changed. Such a decision would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate to allow a constitutional amendment. Then Georgia voters would have to approve the decision in a statewide vote in 2016. Finally, Gov. Nathan Deal would have to sign “enabling legislation” to give locals the right to approve a casino.
MGM Resorts’ $1 Billion Casino
If that happened, the MGM Resorts’s $1 billion plan to build an integrated casino-resort in Atlanta might come to fruition. A development of that size likely would not be approved for a year after the enabling act was signed and Atlanta approved such a plan. Building a major casino would take 2 to 3 more years, so 2020 would be a realistic time table for a casino opening in Georgia.
Of course, such an eventuality has several legislative hurdles to clear, including victories in the legislature and governor’s mansion, as well as the state and local level. Lorenzo Creighton, president of the MGM National Harbor in Baltimore, says that a casino is a good idea. Creighton said, “We like the concept of putting a resort somewhere in the metro Atlanta area. It all starts with the HOPE scholarship, which would be the primary benefactor. It’s a win-win.”
MGM Resorts Officials Scout Development Areas
Creighton gave Georgia journalists that quote while visiting the area with some of MGM Resorts’s officials. The group is scouting out potential development areas for their hoped-for casino.
One paper used the Georgia Open Records Act to learn that the group were touring near the Centennial Olympic Park and the “Gulch” in Downtown Atlanta. Documents showed that the Las Vegas casino company also has interest in putting a casino in Savannah, which would be a natural second location.
HOPE Scholarship Argument
To sell their plan to state senators, MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren and his board have developed a pitch based on reviving the Georgia Lottery-funded HOPE scholarship program. The Georgia Lottery has had to cut rewards amidst increasing demands and tuition prices, but MGM Resorts says it can fund the program with a casino bill. Besides funded a much-needed educational program, building a casino industry would create 10,900 well-paying jobs statewide.
In the past, few people would expect to see a billion-dollar casino built in a major southern city. MGM Resorts believes the political winds are shifting, as America is becoming more used to the idea of rampant gambling. A whole generation of people have grown up alongside Georgia’s state lottery, while the American casino niche has expanded from a 2-state industry in 1988 to a 43-state industry in 2015. Unlike previous generations, gambling seems to be everywhere (except Utah and Hawaii).
Gambling More Accepted Down South
Even in the state of Georgia, a traditional bastion of conservatism and morality, a slim majority of Republican voters gave support for casino gambling in 2012. Here in 2015, some politicians are supporting a horse racing bill, which some analysts believe might have a chance to be legalized.
For an Atlanta or Savannah casino to become a reality, a certain amount of legislative wrangling might need to happen. MGM Resorts has hired 5 lobbyists to argue on behalf of such a development. While nothing is for certain, Georgia is closer to a brick-and-mortar casino than at any time in the past several decades.
