Georgian council supports gambling legislation
Some of the members that integrate the Columbus City Council in Georgia support the legislation that would legalise gambling in the state.
US.- The Columbus City Council discussed on Tuesday the possibility of pushing for the legalisation of gambling in Georgia once again. According to local media, a majority of the council supports the idea of asking local state representatives to insist on a legislation and added the measure to the 2018 legislative agenda.
Businessman Bob Wright believes that a casino could be brought to South Columbus if a legislation gets passed, and urged councilors to push for a referendum that would give citizens the opportunity to vote on the subject. “A state referendum would allow our citizens in Georgia to vote as to whether or not they would like gaming in the state of Georgia,” said Wright.
The idea proposed by the businessman worked as a wake up call for other councilors as a new casino could have a significant economic impact in the territory.
“If this is passed, and I think it probably will be on the state level, and we’re one of the communities that didn’t even support a right to vote, I don’t think we’re going to be left with a seat at the table,” said Councilor Garret.
“I think that this initiative is underway,” Henderson said. “I think, in order to even have an opportunity for us to evaluate whether or not it’s a good thing or a bad thing for Columbus, Georgia, we have to at least be in the game from the beginning.”
On the other hand, Councilor Judy Thomas, one of the officials who opposed the casino, reminded that the latest attempt at legalising gambling in the state wouldn’t have allowed South Columbus to get a casino simply because it didn’t qualify because of its low population. “If that bill were to pass, the only places that we could have casinos in Georgia would be in the Atlanta area, and in Savannah,” said Thomas.
