Gambling question no simple call

The Christmas holidays are behind us, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t still considering the possibility of more presents. Some members of the Georgia General Assembly, faced with the prospect of casino gambling, have visions not of sugar plums but of dollar signs dancing in their heads.

As reported in Chuck Williams’ Sunday interviews with members of the local delegation about the 2017 session that began Monday, the issue is expected to be a prominent topic.

It quickly became prominent here late last year when successful and respected Columbus businessman Robert Wright Jr. proposed the idea of a $200 million resort casino as an economic boost for south Columbus. Such a project would, of course, require the legislature to put a referendum before the voters — which Columbus Council promptly voted to ask the local delegation to propose.

The amounts of money involved in any such undertaking are, of course, enormous: “I know a bunch of companies have hired a bunch of lobbyists,” Rep. Richard Smith, R-Columbus, told the L-E. And this started long before the 2017 General Assembly’s opening gavel had sounded.

Smith also reminded voters that beyond the fundamental question — “Do we want casinos in Georgia to begin with?” — legalization would be just one step. How many casinos should there be, and what kinds, and where? And who should decide?

John Pezold, R-Columbus, was weighing practical economic consequences against what he called his own “libertarian” instincts to let people make their own choices. “I do have concerns,” he said, “about the impact it will have on local entertainment.”

Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, was thinking about education revenue from casino gambling. In particular, she said the HOPE Scholarship should become available “on need, not just merit,” because it now benefits “primarily middle and upper income students.” The latter has become an economic fact in Georgia; the former might be politically problematic, regardless of the big-picture merits of the idea.

HOPE was established specifically as a merit-based program, an incentive for students to pursue higher education, and to pursue it in Georgia schools. But economic realities, especially during and since the recession, have made Hugley’s assessment an accurate one: College costs have soared, and the percentage of those costs HOPE covers has diminished. That leaves the part of the cost not covered by HOPE out of the economic reach of too many students who otherwise qualify.

An influx of funding for education is a compelling argument for casinos, just as it was for the lottery 25 years ago. It’s bolstered by the results of a recent audit that showed University System of Georgia overall student costs rising 77 percent from 2006-2015. (Regents have held the line on tuition the last two years.)

It raises the question of why the cost of attendance has soared so much so fast in one of the nation’s poorest states. Maybe that should be at least as high a legislative priority as casinos.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Gambling question no simple call."