Governor Roy Barnes will introduce legislation on Aug. 22 to ban video gambling in Georgia. The legislation would make video gaming machines and slot machines illegal in the state.
"And the only acceptable winnings for any other type of gaming machine will be certificates that can be redeemed on the property," Barnes said. "Playing skee-ball at Six Flags will still be legal, but video poker won't."
Barnes called video gaming a "cancer."
"Video gambling is a cancer that is quickly spreading throughout Georgia, and the only way to stop it is to remove it from our communities," Barnes said. "We saw this problem coming. We tried to head it off with warnings to those who were giving cash payouts. We've even had a task force from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation working to find those places where illegal video gambling was taking place, and we've found plenty of them. It wasn't enough."
Barnes also had a warning for gaming industry lobbyists.
"Let me say this to the gambling industry lobbyists who are going to say this goes too far, that video gambling should just be regulated, not banned - there is no such thing as half a cure for cancer," he said. "Video gambling is a cancer, and we're going to get rid of it in Georgia before it gets any worse."
SOURCE:
Atlanta Business Chronicles.
