Atlanta, with hopes of keeping up with rivals Orlando and Las Vegas, is rolling the dice on gambling with the future.
City council members have asked the state legislature to authorize gambling in Georgia, where it has been talked about for decades.
One of the strongest backers of the move is CVB officials.
“Over the last two to three years, there’s been a lot more interest in the subject. Maybe it’s time to put the issue on the table and discuss the pros and cons of it and see where it takes us,” said Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau President Spurgeon Richardson.
Other areas such as Pennsylvania are turning to gambling. The state approved slot-machine casinos for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh last year, potentially making Philadelphia the nation’s largest city with a downtown casino.
Georgia is already ringed by four states that have gaming — Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and North Carolina.
Report by David Wilkening
