The Georgia Lottery Commission has gotten a study to analyze the potential and feasibility for establishing casinos in Georgia.
Spectrum Gaming Group has come up with an 84-page report to the GLC, delivered for your Governor to review last week. The report encompasses a bidding process, regulation, revenue streams, kinds of games and machines, and locations for this kind of move.
Jim Galloway with the AJC filed a request to the report, which he has graciously shared. (Be warned, it is a large download and could take some time.) The report indicates that the opportunity revenue that is realized for the state of Georgia could approach one billion dollars - no small sum for a state that has spent the final several years attempting 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 your state depending on the upfront auction of casino applications and on annual licenses and tax receipts. The upfront application fee, though, couldn't be too large, or it might hamper the modern site's power to generate revenue going forward.
The six Atlanta locations were determined to take downtown Atlanta, Cobb County through here the Galleria, DeKalb County close to the intersection of I-20 and I-285, South Cobb County near Six Flags, Clayton County nearby the airport, as well as the Lake Lanier area in Gwinnett County.
The two locations with all the highest potential gross gaming revenue (GGR) were the downtown location ($791.5 M) as well as the Galleria locations ($788.2 M). The DeKalb option was analyzed to experience a potential GGR of $770.2 M. Clayton County features a projected GGR of $741.8 M, even though the South Cobb and Lake Lanier option had the cheapest projected GGR.
The plan using the most potential income for Georgia included one casino in the Atlanta area, one casino in the Savannah area, and one in 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, for example Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, as well as looking abroad to Singapore's gaming control board. It suggested a robust regulatory framework, supplied with the Georgia Lottery Corporation, to ensure honest gaming and prevention of potential corruption.
The report projects that this earliest the state could start seeing revenue from the passage of your gaming bill was 2014. Considering the length of time it popularized move a Sunday alcohol sales bill forward, such a fast-track may not be possible. Talk has previously been do about casinos in Atlanta, but was quickly sloughed off. If there is support from Georgia's leader this time, then the plan could meet with a different fate.