Georgia Gambling A No-Go

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal will not approve legalizing casino-type gambling in the state despite a recent report that says the industry could bring in megabucks.

A $91,000 study produced for the Georgia Lottery Corp. and released Oct. 27 found that casinos in Atlanta, Savannah, Jekyll Island and several other areas opened by 2014 could bring in about $1 billion annually.

But Deal has a different perspective, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“[The governor] has focused his attention on the report’s findings that there are 10,000 illegal slot machines operating in Georgia, with each machine taking in approximately $200,000 and paying out $100,000 a week,” spokesman Brian Robinson said in a statement. “The governor is concerned that the illegal machines divert millions of dollars away from the Georgia Lottery and the struggling HOPE [college scholarship] and pre-[kindergarten] programs.”