Wynn Resorts, Boyd Gaming signal interest if Georgia legalizes casinos

Wynn Resorts and Boyd Gaming said they are ready to enter Georgia if lawmakers approve casino gambling.

Christopher Gordon, president of Wynn Resorts and its development arm, Wynn Development, told members of the House study committee on gaming this week that the company would consider locations in Georgia should the law change.

Boyd Gaming’s Vice President for Government Affairs, Ryan Soultz, delivered a similar message, saying the company “would love to be in Georgia,” according to a report from Bisnow.

Efforts to legalize gambling in Georgia have repeatedly stalled. A 2018 proposal for three casinos failed, and a March effort to send sports betting and casino gambling to a statewide ballot failed to advance. This marked the seventh consecutive year the legislature considered, but did not pass, a gambling expansion measure.

Still, lawmakers are expected to revisit the issue in January. If passed with the required supermajorities in both chambers, the proposal could appear on the November 2026 ballot.

Industry leaders argue the economic case is too strong to ignore. Gordon pointed to the $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor resort, opened by Wynn in 2019, which has already contributed $1 billion in gaming taxes to Massachusetts. A Georgia casino, he suggested, could generate thousands of jobs and serve as a major economic driver.

“These things are an engine that you can’t imagine if you build the right ones and you get the right operators,” Gordon said.

Rick Lackey, founder of Real Professionals Network, also told lawmakers that Midtown and Downtown Atlanta, the airport area, and Savannah could all be attractive locations for large-scale casinos.