Casino Study in the Works for Atlanta

You have to crawl before you can walk.  While it’s just in the infant stages of idea mode, the city of Atlanta is closer to having casino gambling this week than it was last week.  That is because local business leaders are calling for a study to determine if a casino would be something that Atlanta could and should have.

One of the flag wavers for the study is Fulton County Commissioner Rob Pitts, who proposed casinos several years ago, as well.  He does not like the fact that Georgians who want to gamble have to leave the state to do so.  Residents of the state tend to head to North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and, of course Las Vegas, to spend their gambling dollars.  Pitts would welcome the increased revenue for the state and the new jobs a casino would bring (by his estimate, two casinos would create 6,000 jobs).

Mark Woodworth of PKF Hospitality Research noted that, "Georgia is only one of 12 states in the nation that either does not already have enabling legislation for casino gaming, or is not actively considering passing legislation."

One site that has been mentioned as a possibility for a new casino is the downtown area, Underground Atlanta.