DANGER! Equality Act, Half-way through Congress
Do you want gambling unleashed on Georgia?
“All that glitters is not gold. Why do they have to have so much law enforcement? Because this is absolutely one of the most dangerous industries that you can have in your state.”
– Mike Griffin, Georgia Baptist Mission Board, October 16, 2019
On October 15, 16 and 17, the newly appointed Special Committee on Economic Growth held full-day hearings about legalizing all gambling in Georgia, as proposed in the following bills:
H.R. 3781 All Forms of Betting, Bingo, Raffles, and Gambling Shall be Permitted, authored by Representative Ron Stephens and three co-sponsors, was introduced February 27th. Briefly, it went into a House committee, but is now in the Special Committee on Economic Growth. H.R. 378 amends the Lottery section of Article I, Section II, Paragraph VIII (a) of The Constitution of the State of Georgia and adds new paragraphs to create the Georgia Gaming Commission and define its duties. The Commission would decide which forms of for-profit1 bingo games, raffles by for-profit organizations, betting and gambling to legalize, then, regulate the ones they authorize. Of over 30 speakers from inside and outside Georgia, at least 27 – casino owners, gaming proponents, out-of-state legislators and officials, contractors and builders – want casinos and horseracing here, while three2 explained gambling’s dangers.
As a proposed constitutional amendment, a two-thirds vote is required for passage in both House and Senate. If they pass it, the following would be a question on the November 2020 ballot. If a simple majority votes YES, commercialized gambling would be legalized.
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide for the legalization of all forms of betting, bingo games, raffles, and gambling as permitted by the Georgia Gaming Commission and to provide for the establishment of such commission in order to regulate such activities?”
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