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City Commercial Real Estate CEO Rick Lackey is featured in the articles, televison news stories and podcasts below. Please follow the hyperlinks to read, view or listen.

Proposed casino sites add meat to argument for legalized casino gambling in rural Georgia. News coverage around the state and the world outlines how this year's effort offers needed economic benefit to rural Georgia

MIDWAY, Ga. (WTOC) 2.08.21 - An idea is being discussed that could very well be a game changer for a small Liberty County town. Lawmakers and community leaders are looking at a site in Midway that could be used to build a casino. This casino, if approved by voters, could impact all of Coastal Georgia.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution 1.27.21 - House Tourism and Economic Development Chairman Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, filed House Resolution 30 on Tuesday, which would put a question on the 2022 ballot asking Georgia voters if they support allowing casinos in Georgia.

Representative Calvin Smyre said he thinks voters should decide if there is a casino in the state or not. Smyre hopes the amendment will be taken up to the floor in the general assembly next week.

Playing blackjack, a hand or two of poker, or maybe taking a chance on a slot machine payday could be a near-future reality in Coastal Georgia.

The Georgia Legislature is considering a bill that could ultimately lead to the legalization of casino gambling in the state. Meanwhile, real estate professionals are marketing potential sites in Savannah, Midway and Kingsland for casino resorts.

Proposals to legalize gambling in Georgia are now in the pipeline of both legislative chambers in the General Assembly. I'm a paragraph. Click once to begin entering your own content. You can change my font, size, line height, color and more by highlighting part of me and selecting the options from the toolbar.

Northwestgeorgianews.com -  Proposals to legalize gambling in Georgia are now in the pipeline of both legislative chambers in the General Assembly.

A portion of the proceeds would go toward the HOPE Scholarship and other tuition and grant programs at both public and private colleges and universities as well as Technical College System of Georgia campuses.  “Generally, successful destination resorts with casinos draw customers that can easily travel by car and are within 2-to-5-hour drive times of major population centers,” Lackey said. 

A constitutional amendment introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives Tuesday calls for a statewide referendum to authorize a limited number of “casino resorts” across the state.

Lackey said “Developments of this magnitude will require capital investments of between $500 million and $1 billion and create between 3000 and 5000 local jobs each,” he said. “If Georgia does what it is capable of doing, this would create the same economic impact as the proposed Amazon HQ2 without offering any tax incentives. And community-wide, the casino resort would be the equivalent of dropping a KIA plant in Hartwell, Lavonia, Columbus or any of the other areas under consideration.”

Northwestgeorgianews.com - ATLANTA - Georgia lawmakers again are considering whether to legalize casino gambling in the Peach State.

A constitutional amendment introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives Tuesday (Jan. 26) calls for a statewide referendum to authorize a limited number of “casino resorts” across the state.

A portion of the proceeds would go toward the HOPE Scholarship and other tuition and grant programs at both public and private colleges and universities as well as Technical College System of Georgia campuses. The money also would help cover the casinos’ operating expenses and fund programs for prevention and treatment of addictive gambling..

Columbus Ledger - Enquirer 1.28.21 - A riverfront casino resort in Columbus? It could happen under this new GA legislation.Columbus’ Calvin Smyre is one of six state lawmakers who signed on to a proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday that would allow casino operation in Georgia, reviving talks of a possible riverfront resort on the city’s south side.

Under the legislation, a limited number of casinos would be allowed to operate in Georgia. A portion of the state’s casino income would fund HOPE and other scholarship programs. The amendment would appear on the ballot in 2022, Smyre told the Ledger-Enquirer.

.Savannahnow.com Savannah Morning News , The Augusta Chronicle, 1.27.21 ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers again are considering whether to legalize casino gambling in the Peach State.

A constitutional amendment introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives Tuesday calls for a statewide referendum to authorize a limited number of “casino resorts” across the state. Casino gambling in the Peach State? Georgia lawmakers are again considering it.  A portion of the proceeds would go toward the HOPE Scholarship and other tuition and grant programs at both public and private colleges and universities as well as Technical College System of Georgia campuses. 

Forbes 12.14.20 -Rick Lackey and  14 other members of Forbes Real Estate Council take a deep dive into the things anyone should be doing if they want to use real estate to make a fortune.

Atlanta Journal Constitution 1.8.21 - Future of gambling legislation uncertain in Georgia

Commercial real estate broker Rick Lackey said owners have held land in their families for generations waiting for a use to come along that would make selling or developing the land worth it.

“Casinos will pay more money than anyone will ever pay for their property,” he said. “At the same time, these people are pillars of their communities, so the development needs to be beneficial to the community. Any of these casinos come with 3,000 to 5,000 jobs created — at the facility itself and with jobs downstream (such as) slot machine repairs and technology.”

Forbes, 1.11.21 - Rick Lackey and 15 other members of Forbes Real Estate Council weigh in on the challenges investors typically face and how to deal with them in the coming year.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 1.15.21

House Tourism and Economic Development Chairman Ron Stephens of Savannah filed a bill Thursday that would authorize the Georgia Lottery to manage an online sports wagering system, with some proceeds going to fund HOPE scholarships. “We’re putting the path of least resistance first,” Stephens said. “Then, hopefully, it would build the momentum to get the other ones through.”

Forbes 12.2.20 - Deliberately Networking: Three Keys To Success In Commercial Real Estate, Written by Rick Lackey 

WJKT News4Jax - 12.30.20 - Florida, Georgia lawmakers focus on gaming industry

 Atlanta Business Chronicle 10.7..20 -Looking ahead: Atlanta Motor Speedway still hopeful for $1B casino resort

Atlanta Business Chronicle 6.11.20 -  Taking odds: How legalized sports gambling can impact business in Georgia

Bisnow 11.26.19 - Georgia Legislators Pushing For A Casino Ballot Measure In 2020


Bisnow 8.15.19 - 4 Burning Questions For Atlanta CRE As Recession Signs Mount

Atlanta Business Chronicle 9.4.2000 - Rick Lackey is growing Grubb & Ellis Atlanta 

Atlanta Business Chronicle 4.5.99 Lackey's hardly lackadaisical about doing deals

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