A second gambling expansion bill was filed in Georgia Tuesday as Rep. Ron Stephens filed HR 30, which would allow citizens to vote on whether casino gambling is legal.
Ga Casino Bill
House Resolution 378 would ask voters whether they believed the Georgia Constitution should be amended to allow pari-mutuel betting, casino gambling and sports betting, and establish an independent. The measure the House committee passed Monday is one of two 11th-hour efforts in the General Assembly to move forward on legalized gambling. A bill that would allow sports betting in Georgia. The initial version of casino gambling legislation the Georgia General Assembly will consider would exclude Columbus from the discussion. But one influential lawmaker cautions that it is early in. A Savannah Republican lawmaker is again pushing legislation that would ask Georgia voters if they believe casino gambling should be allowed in the state. House Tourism and Economic Development Chairman Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, filed House Resolution 30 on Tuesday, which would put a question on the 2022 ballot asking Georgia voters if they support allowing casinos in Georgia. Brandon Beach on Wednesday filed a bill that would establish a Georgia Horse Racing Commission to license up to three racetracks in the state. Rep.Ron Stephens on Tuesday filed another one that would put a question on an upcoming ballot asking Georgia voters whether they support allowing casinos in the state.
It’s the second gambling bill that Stephens has sponsored after having his name attached to an online sports betting bill that was filed earlier this month at the start of the legislative session. According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Stephens said he plans to file a third piece of legislation that would legalize horse racing.
Casino Bill In Ga
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If passed, HR 30 would put a question on the ballot in 2022 asking whether voters support bringing casinos to the Peach State. Last December, Stephens told local media that getting expanded gambling passed in 2021 was incredibly likely but did mention that sports betting would be the easiest to pass.
Casino gambling would require an amendment to the state constitution which is why it would require a ballot initiative. With bills that require a constitutional amendment, two-thirds majority is needed in both chambers to get to the governor’s desk. Sports betting, however, could be legalized through the normal legislative process and a simple majority vote.
Georgia Casino Bill
Like most other states that are looking at expanded gambling, tax revenue is a driving force behind legalization.
“We’re back at trying to backfill the HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K, and the destination resorts, along with the tourism piece, is the way to do it,” Stephens told the AJC.
There was growing support for expanded gambling as the 2020 legislative session started, but the pandemic forced lawmakers to rearrange their legislative priorities. At the start of 2020, the president of the Atlanta Motor Speedway drew up a proposal for a $1 billion casino complex on-site.