The House Study Committee on Gaming In The State of Georgia will hold the first of at least four public hearings at 10 a.m. on Monday (July 28) at the Oconee County Administrative Building, 7635 Macon Highway, north of Watkinsville.
While the agenda for the meeting has not been released, the topic of the meeting is listed as casino gambling.
Marcus Wiedower, representing Oconee County in the 121 House District, is chair of the Study Committee with the responsibility for calling meetings.
The Study Committee also is tasked with studying the permitting of pari-mutuel and fixed-odds horse racing, and digital, retail and on-premise sports betting.
Wiedower is the lead sponsor of House Bill 686 now before the General Assembly that would authorize and provide for the regulation and taxation of sports betting in the state and has been the force behind gaming legislation in both the 2023 and the 2024 legislative sessions.
House Bill 686 was withdrawn from the House at the end of the 2025 legislative session and recommitted for consideration in the session in 2026.
According to House Resolution 753 setting up the Gaming Study Committee as well as other study committees, the Gaming Committee “will study how legalization of gaming in this state, if approved by the people and enabled by the General Assembly, would contribute to the economy and workforce development of this state.”
The Committee also is tasked with studying “what social and societal ills may come to Georgia if gaming is approved by the citizens of this state.”
HR 753 specifies that Gaming Study Committee is to consist of seven members, with House Speaker Jon Burns naming the chair. Six of the seven members of the Committee are Republicans, including Wiedower. Wiedower is joined by another sponsor of HB 686 on the Committee.
Committee Rationale
House Resolution 753 created study committees on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas, on Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process, and on Gaming in the State of Georgia.
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| Wiedower Official Photo |
The resolution states that “the General Assembly needs to determine how legalization of gaming in this state if approved by the people and enabled by the General Assembly would contribute to the economy and workforce development of this state as to revenue expectations and quality of jobs being available when weighed against what social and societal ills may come to Georgia if gaming is approved by the citizens of this state.”
It further states that “the General Assembly needs to determine if the legalization of gaming would also increase tax revenues for Georgia and aid in meeting the budgetary demands of government.”
The resolution asserts that “many of our citizens travel substantial distances to engage in gaming activities and enjoy the resort atmosphere in states such as Nevada, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Massachusetts.”
The resolution states that “if gaming was expanded in this state, the money spent in other states might remain with the industries and tax revenues of this state.”
The resolution further says “the State of Georgia has a large agricultural industry that contributes significantly to the economy of this state and a portion of that industry is involved with the breeding, raising, and training of horses” and “the legalization of horse racing and pari-mutuel betting in this state could aid in the further development and expansion of Georgia's horse breeding and raising industry and foster its contribution to the economy of this state.”
The resolution says that “the financial implications for the state of such potential legalization as well as previously considered measures by the General Assembly to improve Georgia's economy deserve to be further considered and studied along with the social, fiscal, and economic impacts and the financial viability of such endeavors.”
Committee Assignment And Composition
The Committee is instructed to “hold at least four public hearings at various locations throughout this state and at least one meeting to discuss and finalize findings.”
Legislators are allowed the state dictated allowances for up to three days of meetings.
The Committee is asked to “adopt specific findings or recommendations that include proposed legislation, and the chairperson is required to file a report prior to Dec. 1, 2025, at which time the Committee is to be abolished.
The legislature will meet in January to take up the findings of the Committee.
Members of the Committee, according to the terms of the resolution adopted by the House, are Shaw Blackmon of Bonaire, the chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Alan Powell of Hartwell, chair of the House Committee on Regulated Industries, and Ron Stephens of Savannah, chair of the House Committee on Economic Development.
House Speaker Burns was instructed to appoint four members, including the chair, and he chose Wiedower as chair, and Matt Hatchett of Dublin, Yasmin Neal of Jonesboro and Chuck Martin of Alpharetta as members.
Neal is the sole Democrat on the Committee.
Martin had joined Wiedower as sponsor of HB 686 on the regulation and taxation of sports betting in this state, which did not make it out of the House in the last session.
Wiedower On Legislation
Wiedower represents all of Oconee County except the Northeast precinct, made up of what was formerly the Bogart and Marswood Hall precincts.
In both the 2023 and the 2024 legislative sessions, Wiedower and Sen. Bill Cowsert played lead roles in trying to get gaming legislation passed. Cowsert, also a Republican, represents Oconee County in the state Senate.
Wiedower routinely has received campaign contributions from gaming and related interests, as reflected in his campaign finance reports.
In his Jan.31, 2025, filing, for example, he reported receiving $500 from the Entertainment Software Association of Washington, D.C., which supports the video game industry.
The session on Monday is scheduled to be livestreamed HERE.
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