--- title: HR 655. House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr655 cite_as: HR 655, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr655 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr655.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr655/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71496 date: 2025-03-25 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr654.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr656.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr655.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 655 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-20 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Alan Powell - Shaw Blackmon - Ron Stephens text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR655/2025 upstream_id: 2012189 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - gaming legislation - casino gambling - horse racing betting - sports betting - legislative study committee --- # HR 655. House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia; create ## Text 25 LC 28 0695 House Resolution 655 By: Representatives Powell of the 33rd, Blackmon of the 146th, and Stephens of the 164th A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Ge orgia; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, the Georgia General Assembly has long considered multi ple legislative3 measures to permit the voters of Georgia to decide whether or not to allow the state and its4 counties to decide whether or not to authorize or opt in to lan d based destination resort5 casinos, pari-mutuel and fixed-odds horse racing, and whether or not to permit digital, retail,6 and on-premise sports betting; and7 WHEREAS, the General Assembly needs to determine how legalization of gaming in this8 state if approved by the people and enabled by the General Assembly would contribute to the9 economy and workforce development of this state as to revenue expectations and quality of10 jobs being available when weighed against what social and societal ills may come to Georgia11 if gaming is approved by the citizens of this state; and12 WHEREAS, the General Assembly needs to determine if the legalization of gaming would13 also increase tax revenues for Georgia and aid in meeting the b udgetary demands of14 government; and15 H. R. 655 - 1 - 25 LC 28 0695 WHEREAS, many of our citizens travel substantial distances to engage in gaming activities16 and enjoy the resort atmosphere in states such as Nevada, Missi ssippi, Alabama, North17 Carolina, and Massachusetts; and18 WHEREAS, if gaming was expanded in this state, the money spent in other states might19 remain with the industries and tax revenues of this state; and20 WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has a large agricultural industry that contributes21 significantly to the economy of this state and a portion of that industry is involved with the22 breeding, raising, and training of horses; and23 WHEREAS, the legalization of horse racing and pari-mutuel betting in this state could aid24 in the further development and expansion of Georgia's horse breeding and raising industry25 and foster its contribution to the economy of this state; and26 WHEREAS, the financial implications for the state of such potential legalization as well as27 previously considered measures by the General Assembly to impro ve Georgia's economy28 deserve to be further considered and studied along with the soc ial, fiscal, and economic29 impacts and the financial viability of such endeavors.30 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:31 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee32 on Gaming in the State of Georgia.33 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of seven members. The 34 members of the committee shall be the chairpersons of the House Committee on Ways35 and Means, the House Committee on Regulated Industries, and the House Committee on36 Economic Development and four other members of the House of Rep resentatives37 H. R. 655 - 2 - 25 LC 28 0695 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one o f whom shall be38 designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve as chairperson of the39 committee.40 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,41 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or42 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.43 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee44 shall hold at least four public hearings at various locations t hroughout this state and at45 least one meeting to discuss and finalize findings. Such heari ngs and meeting shall be46 conducted at such places and at such times as deemed necessary or convenient to enable47 the committee to exercise fully and effectively its powers, per form its duties, and48 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.49 (5) Allowances and funding.50 (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided51 for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.52 (B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member53 of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds54 necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds55 appropriated to the House of Representatives.56 (6) Report. The committee shall adopt specific findings or recommendation s that57 include proposed legislation, and the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to58 the date of abolishment specified in this resolution.59 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.60 H. R. 655 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution would create a study committee to examine legalizing casinos, horse racing betting, and sports betting in Georgia, reporting findings before the committee ends on December 1, 2025. ### Plain-language summary Georgia lawmakers have repeatedly considered letting voters decide whether the state and its counties could allow land based destination resort casinos, horse racing with betting, and sports betting. This resolution does not legalize any of that. Instead it creates the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia to look at whether expanding gaming would help the economy, create jobs, boost tax revenue, and support Georgia's horse breeding industry, while also weighing possible social costs. The seven member committee would include the chairs of the House Ways and Means, Regulated Industries, and Economic Development committees, plus four more House members picked by the Speaker, one of whom chairs the group. It must hold at least four public hearings around the state plus one meeting to finalize findings, and file a report with any recommended legislation. Members get standard legislative allowances, funded through the House's existing budget. The committee is abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia to study legalizing casinos, horse racing betting, and sports betting. - Sets the committee's membership at seven: three House committee chairs (Ways and Means, Regulated Industries, Economic Development) and four more members picked by the Speaker. - Requires at least four public hearings across the state and one meeting to finalize findings before issuing a report. - Directs the committee to recommend any legislation it finds necessary, with funding drawn from money already appropriated to the House. - Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025. ### Who it affects Members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee, particularly the chairs of the Ways and Means, Regulated Industries, and Economic Development committees. Georgians interested in casino gaming, horse racing, sports betting, and the state's horse breeding industry would also be affected by any resulting recommendations. ### Why it matters No gaming law changes yet; this only sets up a committee to gather information and public input across the state. Its report could shape future legislation on casinos, horse racing betting, or sports betting, which would affect state revenue, jobs, and Georgia's agricultural horse industry. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) formally creates the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia. - Paragraph (2) sets the committee at seven members, including three named House committee chairs and four Speaker appointees, one serving as chairperson. - Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying gaming related issues and recommending action or legislation it deems necessary. - Paragraph (4) requires at least four public hearings statewide plus one meeting to finalize findings. - Paragraph (5) grants legislative allowances under O.C.G.A. ยง 28-1-8, capped at five days unless extended, funded from the House's existing appropriations. - Paragraph (6) requires the committee to file a report with findings and any proposed legislation before it is abolished. - Paragraph (7) sets the abolishment date as December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-20) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-25) - Sponsors: Alan Powell, Shaw Blackmon, Ron Stephens - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71496 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr655.md?full=1