Atlanta’s Echo Park Speedway Wants to House Casino Despite Illegal Status

Echo Park Speedway, formerly the Atlanta Motor Speedway, has released its plan to build a $1 billion casino resort on its campus.

Speedway President Ed Clark confirmed the project has been in development for six years. He also said that if it is approved, it could result in billions of dollars of economic stimulus for the state.

The only issue? Georgia’s laws do not allow for casinos of any kind, including those with a preference for high speeds.

Reasons for legalization

The famed racing venue is located to the south of downtown Atlanta in Hampton, Georgia.

Plans for the casino-resort outline the potentially massive impact on the local community, specifically in relation to the creation of jobs. Clark said that the venue would help Henry County keep its residents, many of whom travel for work, closer to home.

“About 70% of the people in Henry County go out of the County each day to work, and they're excited about the prospect of having good-paying jobs here in the County,” Clark said, per FOX 5 Atlanta. “We anticipate from a construction standpoint, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000 jobs…and then once we get up and operating, full and part-time jobs would number somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 to 3,000.”

Clark also discussed the immediate potential for a gaming facility.

Georgia’s only forms of legal gambling are through the state lottery and bingo games or raffles hosted by non-profit organizations. In an era dominated by the expansion of gambling, that makes it an attractive target for gaming sponsors.

“Sixty-five thousand-plus people from Georgia go out of the state each month to another state to do gaming, and that's revenue the state's losing that could be used for health care, education,” Clark said.

Will this be the year?

Past attempts to legalize various forms of gambling, including sports betting and casinos, have come and gone without much attention.

However, the Georgia House last year formed a Study Committee on Gaming to further examine the merits of legalization. It is one of only 11 that have not legalized sports betting, and one of the very few without any kind of casino gambling.

State Rep. Alan Powell (R-District 33) spoke with Clark last year when the Speedway casino was proposed to the committee. Powell indicated he would be open to the idea due to the improvements it would bring to the broader public. 

“That money could be used for Medicare, it could be used for nursing schools, it could be used for anything healthcare related,” Powell said. “Aid to rural hospitals who are in trouble.”

In order for Georgia to legalize casino gaming, state officials would need to agree on a ballot measure, which would then need to be approved by voters.

The House Committee on Gaming will meet again on Aug. 25, at which time the topics of casino and sports betting legalization are expected to be discussed.