A locally elected state senator is carrying a bill aimed at legalizing casino gambling in Georgia and bringing two destination resorts to the state as early as 2019.

Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, said Friday that Senate Bill 79, which he introduced late last month, could fill the states coffers by helping Georgia collect revenue residents currently spend in surrounding states with casinos.

Beach said hes trying to get the bill before the Senate Regulated Industries Committee for a vote sometime this week.

In order to become reality, he said, casino gambling must be approved by Georgia voters in a statewide referendum. The cities or counties where the casinos would be built must then hold local referendums where voters will decide whether they want a casino in their community.

The bill requires the casinos be built within 30 miles of a large convention center one in a large metro Atlanta county, either Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb or Gwinnett and the second in either Macon, Columbus, Augusta or Savannah, which also have large enough convention centers.

It would require a local referendum, he said. It just depends where they decide to locate.

According to the legislation, the state would levy a 20 percent tax on casino proceeds. Of that revenue, 60 percent would go toward education funding, with 30 percent allocated for the HOPE Scholarship and 30 percent for a needs-based college scholarship. Additionally, 15 percent would go to fund rural hospitals, 15 percent would be used for trauma care, 5 percent would go to expanding broadband in Georgia and the remaining 5 percent would go to law enforcement agencies across the state.

Beachs bill also calls for the creation of a gaming commission, with three members to be appointed by the governor, three appointed by the lieutenant governor and one appointed by the House speaker.

In the past, opponents of casinos have argued that they would take customers away from the Georgia Lottery, but Beach said that would not be the case.

These casino resorts will be so high-end that they wont hurt the lottery, he said. The people going to these destination resorts are not playing keno at the Chevron.

But not everyone is open to the idea of having casinos in the state, and Beachs bill faces opposition in the General Assembly, even from members of Cherokees legislative delegation.

Rep. Scot Turner, R-Holly Springs, said he opposes casino gambling in the state, not for moral or ethical reasons, but because he says Georgia taxpayers would be the ones who end up having to keep the states casinos afloat.

A lot of states have casino gambling so its not as appealing to the average tourist anymore, Turner said Friday. The only place it really works is Vegas. Every other state that has casino gambling ends up subsidizing it with massive amounts of tax dollars.

Aside from Nevada, he said, states with casinos ends up having to prop up the industry with tax money. And while casinos might do well for the first few years, Turner said that success rarely lasts.

Its a raw deal for the taxpayers, he said. After a few years, well end up having to bail them out.

Additionally, Turner said, states with casinos often see a spike in crime rates.

I have no problem with gambling and I enjoy going to a casino, Turner said. I just dont want to live in a place that has them.

Beach maintains that gambling is already legal in the state and said his bill would generate millions of dollars while increasing education funding for Georgias students.

We already have gambling here, he said. And the lottery plays on people who really cant afford to play the lottery.

Turner, however, said there is no moral equivalency between convenience stores that sell scratch-offs and casinos that offer commercial gambling.

Those two things are not the same, he said. A convenience store that sells lottery tickets does not increase crime rates or burden our criminal justice system the way casino gambling does.

At a 20 percent tax rate, Beach estimates casinos could generate up to $450 million of additional revenue annually. He also said the industry would create about 5,000 jobs for Georgians.

He said getting the bill through the Senate and House would be a heavy lift, but Georgians could stand to benefit from all the additional revenue.

But Turner said the bill has a zero percent chance of passing the House with so many residents opposed to it.

I dont think it has enough support, he said. The broad coalition of opposition across the state is widespread.

Beach said between tourists and residents who would attend the destination resorts, the industry would have enough support to thrive.

He said he and his wife took a trip to a couple North Carolina casinos after Christmas and realized about 80 percent of the cars they saw had Georgia tags.

Were funding North Carolinas education, he said, adding that those who are morally opposed to legalized gambling dont hesitate to send their children to college using the HOPE Scholarship, which is funded by the Georgia Lottery.

Without using any taxpayer money, the state could generate millions of dollars to be reinvested in education and healthcare. Thats hard for me to say no to, Beach said. Thats a good deal from an economic development standpoint.

Read more:

Bill in works to legalize casino gambling - Cherokee Tribune Ledger News