\u201cNow, I really believe that the pari-mutuel betting could survive on its own, But you wouldn’t have the quality of races that we would want\u2026 We would want these facilities to be the best in the nation, also, and I think you\u2019ve got to have other forms of money to supplement the purses in order to get us there.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nOpponents to gaming who spoke at the hearing seized on those comments, saying that legalizing horse racing is just an attempt to bring in other forms of gaming as well.<\/p>\n
Mike Griffin, a spokesman for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said HHR parlors at other tracks across the country are set up to look no different than casinos.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, this pig has got lipstick on it, because this is really not about horse racing anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Georgia a Battleground State for Expanded Gaming<\/h2>\n
Georgia has been talked up in recent years as a state that\u2019s likely to take on expanded gaming, and proponents aren\u2019t just looking at horse racing.<\/p>\n
Presently, only the lottery and some types of charitable gaming are allowed in Georgia. The state\u2019s lottery has also been used to fund a scholarship program that has helped cover higher education costs for more than 2 million Georgia students in the nearly 30 years of its existence.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers in Atlanta are also considering allowing casino resorts in the state and legalizing sports betting, with tax revenues going to supplement funding for education.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, state Rep. Ron Stephens<\/a>, R-Savannah, said the state House would consider a constitutional amendment that would allow the Georgia Lottery to run sports betting in the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Georgia state senate committee on Thursday heard testimony on the impact \u2013 economic and societal \u2013 introducing horse racing would have on the state. The Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities is currently considering several bills that call for a constitutional amendment. The new law would allow racing and pari-mutuel betting, and determine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":202142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Georgia Lawmakers Hear Pros and Cons of Legalizing Horse Racing<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n