VALDOSTA — Caesar’s could add a palace in Valdosta soon.

Venturing down from Atlanta, state lawmakers from the House Special Committee on Economic Growth held a public meeting on gambling Tuesday at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center.

The committee, co-chaired by Georgia state Reps. Brett Harrell (R-Snellville), Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) and Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) and joined by committee members Dale Washburn (R-Macon), Al Williams (D-Midway) and Rick Williams (R-Milledgeville), traveled to Valdosta to discuss new economic development possibilities, specifically gaming. 

Lawmakers cannot legalize gaming, or gambling. They can, however, introduce a constitutional amendment to referendum ballots and allow residents to decide. Valdosta was the first stop on a series of meetings the committee will hold around the state to start a dialogue with local communities and gauge interest in legalized gambling.

The main question by lawmakers was simple. 

How do Valdosta-Lowndes County residents feel about bringing legalized gambling to their state?

Georgia already has one form of legalized gambling in the Georgia Lottery. Passed in 1992, the lottery funds the HOPE scholarship, but the special committee’s focus was on industries such as casinos, horse racing and sports betting.

Betting on races or sports is nothing new to the state. Georgia is currently 12th in the nation in illegal gambling, Powell said.

The committee is specifically looking at gambling options that produce the most revenue, particularly “gaming resorts.” These types of resorts are casinos with hotel amenities and other non-gaming activities. 

Representatives emphasized that the lottery has not been able to fully fund HOPE for years. They discussed concern of HOPE dropping from 100% funding for students to about 70%, and how gaming industries could help close the gap. The other major area where gaming revenue could be directed is to state health care.

Lowndes County Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker asked the state representatives why HOPE scholarship funding has declined, and Stephens responded that increased population growth and static lottery participation is one cause. The other is the rise in cost of state universities.

Powell said HOPE was a “blank check” for university systems who continued to raise tuition and fees despite the lottery being unable to keep up with the monetary demands.

“Higher education spent (lottery revenue) too fast,” Al Williams said.

When asked by Bill Slaughter, chairman of the Lowndes County Commission, about the kind of economic impact gambling would have, Stephens said having six gaming resorts in the state could raise $1 billion in taxes.

Al Williams said two items he would like included in gaming legislation would be participation by disadvantaged businesses and services to help with gaming addiction.

The representative from Midway said the size and style of casino would depend on the size of the community. Do not expect Las Vegas-sized casinos and racetracks around the state. 

“Wynn and MGM are going to Atlanta,” Al Williams said. 

If approved by voters, state lawmakers said an independent gaming commission could possibly be established to regulate the new industries.

Other topics broached during the Q&A portion of the meeting included property taxes, senior citizens and animals rights.

Powell said he learned how property taxes could benefit from gaming revenues from three days of committee hearings in mid-October in Atlanta.

Stephens added that revenues from the new industries could provide financial help to seniors and potentially follow the example of Walton County where senior citizens do not pay property taxes.

Judy Haverkamp, a local animal rights activist, said her group would have a hard time voting in favor of gambling without significant regulations on horse racing. 

There could be two measures on ballots about gambling, state and local, Harrell said. He mentioned the possibility of local communities voting on legalizing gaming in their areas through a local option vote on the ballot.

State Sen. Ellis Black also weighed in on the matter saying that enabling legislation would be crucial to this process.

“I don’t think people are going to allow a constitutional amendment if they don’t know what’s in it,” Black said.

More than anything, it is the public who will decide the future of gambling in Georgia.

“It’s not my duty to tell people how to vote,” Powell said.