Casinos in GA?
The CL blog is reporting the talks of legalized gambling to Georgia are on the table once again. This could be great news for our fair state (and city). The tourist income would be sure to see all time highs. Not to mention the fact Atlanta is already a conference super center. Just think how much more that would grow with the addition of casinos in the heart of the city? The money this would bring in to local businesses would be enormous.
But I honestly don’t know how I feel about this though. On one hand, I love me some blackjack. On the other hand… I’m not known for my big winnings. Plus, one of the best parts of traveling is getting to do the things you can’t do at home. A bunch of friends and I went to Vegas for the first time earlier this year and had an absolute blast. We had so much fun in fact we’re making it an annual event. Obviously the ability to gamble was a huge part of what made this trip fun. How will that change if we can gamble ever day here in Georgia? Would we be so willing to go back each year?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for limiting the reach of government. Not allowing gambling to take place in the state is absurd. Let people do what people want to do. As for me though, I would much rather see our local politicians work on abolishing a ban on something even more ridiculous than gambling. Get rid of these outdated blue laws and allow alcohol sales on Sundays and throughout the night. I wonder if the casinos would be forced to be closed on Sundays, too? It would make sense… Chic-fil-a could be the first sponsor.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I think blue laws would have to come before casinos…even in the midst of a rough economy. Silly things like requiring a bar to sell food items in order to operate is just completely ridiculous to me. I do think casinos would be a great boost for the city in area of revenue and job creation but I also fear at the same time of us turning into something like a Biloxi, MS. Sure they have casinos but they are just filled with rednecks. I think to make something like a casino profitable and keep that high-end clientele we would have to position ourselves against the great Las Vegas. I am not certain we could pull it off though.
Don’t get me wrong I think it would work out pretty good if we had it, but you just have to fend off the usual “it brings the seedy elements into the city” talk you hear every time. Just think of how many people would stop here on the way to Florida for vacation if we had casinos.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Oh, I agree… the revenue streams to GA would be immense. I don’t fear Atlanta becoming like Biloxi though. As bad as our redneck population is, we’re no MS. Considering the size of Atlanta, our location, and the fact nothing worth a crap is near us, adding casinos to the city would be huge economic boom and you could see Atlanta rival some of the other casino towns. I don’t believe you would ever see Atlanta rival Las Vegas though. It would definitely be interesting to see what happened if gambling was legalized here… but like you said, the blue laws will probably need to be passed before we see Harrah’s popping up at Underground.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
First off, Harrah’s blows…they have the worst payouts. They own almost half of Vegas. Second, look at the stupidity of the bible-thumping morons in Memphis. Now Tunica is bringing so much to Mississippi…the school systems have improved immensely but poor Memphis…it’s sad. The Harrah’s in Cherokee is dry but still fun to go. I’ve been to Vegas enough that the excitement has worn off and I think Atlanta locals will get bored with the casino, too. But boy will it bring jobs and loads of money!!! Bring it!!!! I’ll happily burn off some obsessive-compulsive energy there….but I have a feeling there will be too much resistance from the good ole boys…AND Mr. Peabody should know that Vegas has some of the strangest cats wandering around the casinos. LOL! Vegas is like the center for the ugliness of America. Yucky-Poo!!!
November 20th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I agree, Harrah’s is a cookie-cutter of a casino as they come. I was merely using it as an example because everyone’s heard of Harrah’s.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Underground needs something, as it sucks right now. Slots, blackjack, something.