I don’t care much about gambling. If I am in Vegas, I will play a few hands of blackjack. If I pay for my groceries in cash, I sometimes take the change and buy a few lotto tickets. But overall it is just not an issue I think much about…until now.
This week the Georgia House and Senate heard testimony about the potential benefits of bringing casino gambling to Georgia. MGM Resorts International CEO and President, Jim Murren testified that Atlanta could support a proposed $1 Billion investment by the company. He also said that there are other opportunities for casinos outside of Atlanta…such as Savannah.
Georgians logged 1 million visits to Mississippi alone to gamble. That translates to hundreds of millions of dollars being spent outside of Georgia. So what do the numbers look like for Georgia?
- Casinos would bring 26 million visitors to up to six gambling resorts across the state
- $280 million annually added to Georgia’s education programs
- More than 30,000 new jobs, including 16,000 and nearly 15,000 through related industry and local business
There are a lot of factors that must be considered before allowing casino gambling to come to Georgia. There are issues with how to tax the industry. There are also concerns about what effect casinos would have on the lottery. And of course, Georgia is right in the Bible Belt. We can’t drink alcohol until 12:30 on Sundays in Georgia restaurants…so convincing people to allow casinos into the state may not be an easy sell.
I personally think it is only a matter of time before casino gambling comes to Georgia. The money is just too great to be ignored. But we won’t have to wait too long too long to have a good idea where this is headed…December 1, 2015 is when Georgia lawmakers will make their recommendations.
Until those 30,000 jobs are created in Georgia, Synergy America can help you find the right job for you.
What do you think? Will we be the Vegas of the South?