Abrams bets that support for casino gambling will pay off in November – The Atlanta Journal Constitution

We are at a generational moment, Abrams said in an interview. The cost of education is extraordinarily high, and too many of our students are falling further behind. And they have no real support from the state.

Her endorsement for legalizing gambling brings to the forefront a debate thats waged every year in the state Capitol over legislation thats perennially failed to pass despite a growing number of rank-and-file supporters from both parties and a host of lobbyists.

It also sharpens a contrast with her opponent, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has said he opposes legalizing casino gambling but that he wouldnt take action to stop legislators from seeking a constitutional amendment that voters would have to approve.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has said he opposes legalizing casino gambling but that he wouldnt take action to stop legislators from seeking a constitutional amendment that voters would have to approve. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has said he opposes legalizing casino gambling but that he wouldnt take action to stop legislators from seeking a constitutional amendment that voters would have to approve. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Its going to take a constitutional amendment. It doesnt really matter what the governor thinks. You cant veto a constitutional amendment, Kemp said. What we have done is focus on creating greater economic opportunity regardless of whether we have a casino or not.

Kemp spokesman Tate Mitchell said the governor plans to work with legislative leaders on a measure to allow sports betting in 2023 if hes reelected. The governor opposed legalizing sports betting in 2018 but steered clear of the debate this year.

Expanding casino gambling in Georgia has been a tough bet for supporters because it requires amending the state constitution allowed only once two-thirds of each legislative chamber agrees to place it on a statewide ballot and a majority of voters approve the change.

Still, proponents have been buoyed by promises from casino magnates of multibillion-dollar investments.

The Georgia Senate passed legislation last year to ask voters whether to legalize online sports betting, but the House never adopted the final legislation that would have opened the door to several forms of gambling.

The $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor casino resort, shown in this artists rendering, will feature restaurants by celebrity chefs, luxury shops, a 3,000-seat theater and a hotel with 308 rooms and suites. The project is expected to open late this year in Maryland. MGM hopes a change in law will allow it to operate in Georgia, where opposition to casino gambling remains strong.

The $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor casino resort, shown in this artists rendering, will feature restaurants by celebrity chefs, luxury shops, a 3,000-seat theater and a hotel with 308 rooms and suites. The project is expected to open late this year in Maryland. MGM hopes a change in law will allow it to operate in Georgia, where opposition to casino gambling remains strong.

The publics sentiment about the idea has steadily changed. A watershed moment occurred in 2012 when a majority of Georgia Republicans indicated in a nonbinding ballot question that they supported casino gambling.

And a 2020 poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that about 58% of Georgia voters support legalizing sports betting.

Any time theres economic instability, new ways to generate more revenue usually generate more support, said Rick Dent, a veteran political strategist who served as Millers press secretary after the lottery passed. Gambling is already all around Georgia. So why shouldnt the state get a piece of that?

Millers lottery idea was once seen as unthinkable in the Deep South but is now a much-copied higher education plan thats boosted the states network of colleges and universities.

Critics thought endorsing the lottery would end Zell Millers career, Dent said. And once it got passed, any talk of expansion was almost immediately cut off because there were worries it would hurt the lottery.

The contours of Abrams plan are still being hashed out, but she said in an interview that she would support a cap of three casinos in Georgia spaced out geographically to reduce competition. The revenue should primarily fund needs-based aid and make technical college tuition-free, she said.

Her plan also calls for the lottery to transfer $300 million of its $1.6 billion in reserve funds to a needs-based aid trust fund. She would tax sports betting at 20% the same rate Republican-led Tennessee uses while also instituting licensing fees. Other key details, she said, would be left to lawmakers.

We need to start with the intention of providing need-based aid and return to a bipartisan conversation about what this will look like, she said. I dont want to set hard-and-fast rules because I know the legislative process well.

Because of the two-thirds threshold to pass a constitutional amendment, legalizing gambling requires broad bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

With a bloc of conservative legislators unwilling to embrace the idea because of moral concerns, Republicans who support gambling have unsuccessfully tried to woo Democrats with promises of incentives to help needier Georgians.

Anti-gambling advocates say Abrams position is a nonstarter. State Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-Woodstock, who is retiring from the General Assembly this year, said casinos would negatively affect our state in almost every way, especially economically, by hurting nearby businesses and spurring more crime and addiction.

Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts International, speaks to members of the Rotary Club of Atlanta in October 2016. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

Credit: Branden Camp

Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts International, speaks to members of the Rotary Club of Atlanta in October 2016. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

Credit: Branden Camp

Credit: Branden Camp

We have already seen repeatedly, when it comes to legalizing social moral vices, that the theoretical benefits economic and otherwise do not match the devastating negative impact, said Mike Griffin, a lobbyist with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

For Abrams, who trails Kemp in polls, the call to legalize gambling is part of an overall revamp of her economic message. She also has vowed to pass pay raises for teachers and law enforcement officials, expand Medicaid and establish new legal protections for abortion rights.

This is a way for Stacey Abrams to draw an even bigger contrast with Kemp, Dent said. She can say: If you elect me, youll get casino gambling, Medicaid expansion and abortion rights. If you elect Kemp, you wont get any of that.

Abrams position also offers the sometimes-fractious Democrats a chance to unify on the issue. State Rep. Stacey Evans, who endorsed casino gambling in 2018 in a losing primary bid against Abrams, said it will be a game changer for education financing.

State Rep. Stacey Evans, who ran against Stacey Abrams in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor, has said that casino gambling could be a "game changer" for funding education in Georgia. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

Credit: Branden Camp

State Rep. Stacey Evans, who ran against Stacey Abrams in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor, has said that casino gambling could be a "game changer" for funding education in Georgia. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

Credit: Branden Camp

Credit: Branden Camp

Education changes everything, Evans said. I believe that to my core.

House Minority Leader James Beverly, who hasnt previously endorsed the idea, said hes had private discussions with other party leaders about a path forward since attending a recent conference in Boston focused on gambling. He said he will back allowing Georgians to vote on the initiative.

We need to get it right the first time, Beverly said. Abrams proposal falls in line with what we are now discussing in our caucus. If we have a holistic conversation, and Georgians vote for it, we will move forward.

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Abrams bets that support for casino gambling will pay off in November - The Atlanta Journal Constitution