The Oconee County Administrative Building was the site Monday for the first in a series of legislative hearings on the legalization of gambling in Georgia. This hearing focused on casino gambling.
Ed Clark, who is president of EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway, used the occasion to reiterate his plan to build a casino adjacent to the track, which he says would create 3,000 construction jobs and regularly employ nearly that many.
Mike Griffin with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board said any tax revenue the state could bring in from legalized gambling would be more than offset by the social costs. Future meetings will take up online sports betting and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing.
A resolution sponsored this year by Watkinsville Representative Marcus Widower calling for a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting remains alive for lawmakers to consider next year.
