The Georgia Lottery Commission has gotten a study to review the potential and feasibility for establishing casinos in Georgia.
Spectrum Gaming Group has come up with an 84-page report for your GLC, delivered to the Governor to review last week. The report encompasses a bidding process, regulation, revenue streams, kinds of games and machines, and locations for this type of move.
Jim Galloway with the AJC filed a request for your report, that she has graciously shared. (Be warned, it is a large download and may take some time.) The report indicates that the opportunity revenue that is realized to the state of Georgia could approach one billion dollars - no small sum for the state that has spent the past several years wanting to close budget gaps of similar size.
The report analyzed the opportunity of a casino at several different locations in Atlanta and at Savannah and/or Jekyll Island. Such locations would generate revenue for the state in line with the upfront auction of casino applications as well as on annual licenses and tax receipts. The upfront application fee, though, couldn't be too large, or it might hamper the brand new site's capability to generate revenue moving forward.
The six Atlanta locations were determined to maintain downtown Atlanta, Cobb County through the Galleria, DeKalb County close to the intersection of I-20 and I-285, South poker card priority Cobb County near Six Flags, Clayton County close to the airport, and also the Lake Lanier area in Gwinnett County.
The two locations using the highest potential gross gaming revenue (GGR) were the downtown location ($791.5 M) and also the Galleria locations ($788.2 M). The DeKalb option was analyzed to have a potential GGR of $770.2 M. Clayton County has a projected GGR of $741.8 M, while the South Cobb and Lake Lanier option had the minimum projected GGR.
The plan while using most potential income for Georgia included one casino inside the Atlanta area, one casino inside the Savannah area, and one inside the Jekyll Island area. The sites were evaluated determined by proximity with tourist attractions, as the newest casino inside the Atlanta area would aim to enhance the city's tourism aspects.
The study also drew upon evaluations of other states' programs, such as Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, as well as looking abroad to Singapore's gaming control board. It suggested a robust regulatory framework, supplied from the Georgia Lottery Corporation, to make sure honest gaming and prevention of potential corruption.
The report projects that the earliest the state could start seeing revenue through the passage of your gaming bill was 2014. Considering just how long it took to move a Sunday alcohol sales bill forward, a real fast-track is probably not possible. Talk has previously been help with about casinos in Atlanta, but was quickly sloughed off. If there is support from Georgia's chief executive this time, then a plan could talk with a different fate.