{"id":375,"date":"2025-08-28T16:20:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T16:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/?p=375"},"modified":"2025-09-22T12:09:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:09:07","slug":"boyd-gaming-wynn-express-interest-in-georgia-casinos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/boyd-gaming-wynn-express-interest-in-georgia-casinos\/","title":{"rendered":"Boyd Gaming, Wynn Express Interest in Georgia Casinos"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><strong>Both gaming companies say they\u2019re interested in bringing casinos to Georgia<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>There\u2019s a long road ahead as the state has a track record of defeating gaming expansion legislation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Count Boyd Gaming and Wynn Resorts among the companies that would bid for casino licenses in Georgia if the state eventually approves gaming expansion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_345868\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-345868\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-345868 size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Georgia sports betting casino legislation\" width=\"858\" height=\"572\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/shutterstock_2498674909-858x572-1.jpg\"><figcaption>Executives from Boyd Gaming and Wynn Resorts said their companies are interested in Georgia casinos. (Image: Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Appearing before a Georgia House of Representatives study committee on wagering earlier this week, Wynn Development Christopher Gordon and Boyd Vice President for Government Affairs Ryan Soultz said their respective employers would be eager to enter the state should lawmakers there give voters the opportunity to have a say on the matter. Not surprisingly, the gaming executive touted the economic benefits of land-based casinos.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p>What you can\u2019t dispute is the economic benefits,\u201d Gordon told the study committee. \u201cThese things are an engine that you can\u2019t imagine if you build the right ones and you get the right operators.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Under the <a href=\"\u201cWhat%20you%20can\u2019t%20dispute%20is%20the%20economic%20benefits,\u201d%20he%20said.%20\u201cThese%20things%20are%20an%20engine%20that%20you%20can\u2019t%20imagine%20if%20you%20build%20the%20right%20ones%20and%20you%20get%20the%20right%20operators.\u201d\">Peach State\u2019s constitution<\/a>, super-majorities in both chambers of the state legislature must approve gaming expansion before the matter can be put to voters. From there, a simple majority of voters must affirm the issue so that the state constitution can be amended.<\/p>\n<h2>Georgia Casinos a Famously Tough Battle<\/h2>\n<p>As proven by the annual sports betting debate, gaming expansion is a tough road for legislators and operators to traverse in Georgia.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>The state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/george-gaming-study-committee-begins-review\/\">is one of the hardest in which<\/a> to add new forms of wagering. It has a state lottery and some small charitable gaming venues, but doesn\u2019t permit iGaming or sports betting, and it joins Alabama, Hawaii, South Carolina, and Utah as the only states to not have at least one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/georgia-casino-bill-fails-sports-betting-odds-remain-long\/\">commercial or tribal<\/a> gaming venue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Still, the allure of Georgia is understandable. It\u2019s the eighth-largest state in the country, and that alone could ensure the issue of gaming expansions, including brick-and-mortar casinos, continues appearing there. The current wisdom among state political insiders is that the issue is dead for 2025, but the subject of casinos is almost certain to be proposed again next year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p>Obviously, we would love to be in Georgia if you decide to let your constituents approve and vote on casinos,\u201d Boyd\u2019s Soultz said at the hearing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Las Vegas-based Boyd has experience in running casinos in the South, including multiple venues in Louisiana and Mississippi, and it\u2019s currently building a regional casino <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/boyd-gaming-breaks-ground-on-750m-casino-virginias-norfolk\/\">in Norfolk, Va.<\/a> in partnership with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe.<\/p>\n<h2>Questions Abound on Georgia Casino Locations<\/h2>\n<p>Gordon and Soultz didn\u2019t go into much detail about where their employers would build in Georgia, if permitted, but a defeated 2018 bill would have opened the door to three casinos in the state, including in Atlanta and Savannah.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>Rick Lackey, a Georgia commercial real estate veteran, told the committee Atlanta is an enticing market, but it will require \u201ca big-time player to make Atlanta happen.\u201d Wynn checks that box, and should it make a Georgia casino reality, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-now-owns-nearly-12-of-wynn-stock\/\">it could appease some investors<\/a> who want to see the operator better leverage its iconic brand in the US.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wynn has experience operating in urban areas outside of Las Vegas. At the committee meeting, Gordon highlighted the success of Encore Boston Harbor, which has delivered $1 billion in taxes to Massachusetts since opening six years ago.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/boyd-gaming-wynn-express-interest-in-georgia-casinos\/\">Boyd Gaming, Wynn Express Interest in Georgia Casinos<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\">Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both gaming companies say they\u2019re interested in bringing casinos to Georgia There\u2019s a long road ahead as the state has a track record of defeating gaming expansion legislation Count Boyd Gaming and Wynn Resorts among the companies that would bid for casino licenses in Georgia if the state eventually approves gaming expansion. Executives from Boyd Gaming and Wynn Resorts said [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":378,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions\/378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}