ATLANTA (August 18, 2020) | Last Friday, Sen. Larry Walker (R – Perry) was one of ten total individuals selected to serve on the Senate Coin Operated Amusement Machine (COAM) Study Committee. Of those selected, five serve as Senate members and five are citizen appointees.
“The proper regulation of bona fide coin operated amusement machines, specifically Class B COAMs, has been a legislative priority of mine for some time now,” said Sen. Walker. “These machines, while a vital part of our state’s economic infrastructure, also ultimately foster a cycle of crime and addiction. With associations to illegal cash payments and in some cases, a monopolization of the industry, these COAMs threaten the integrity of our local communities and businesses. I am both eager and grateful for the opportunity to engage in this intensive study, in the hopes that we will find the appropriate balance between enforcing local control and protection, while also sustaining our state’s education programs. I look forward to the progress we will be able to achieve on this critical issue in the coming months.”
The other members appointed to serve on the committee are as follows:
Sen. John F. Kennedy, Chairman (R – Macon)
Sen. Brandon Beach (R – Alpharetta)
Sen. Brian Strickland (R – McDonough)
Sen. Ed Harbison (D – Columbus)
Gretchen Corbin, Georgia Lottery Corp, President and CEO
Jamie Boyden, Lucky Bucks, Executive Vice President
John Douglas, COAM Master License Holder
Dhaval “Bunty” Doshi, United Gaming, CEO
Nick Damani, Ultra, President and Chairman
The Senate COAM Study Committee was established pursuant to Senate Resolution 1024, with the intention of assessing the manner in which the Georgia Lottery Corporation regulates bona fide coin operated amusement machines (COAMs). The full text of SR 1024 can be viewed at the following link: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/SR/1024.
# # # #
For Immediate Release:
Aug. 18, 2020
Kessarin Horvath, Sr. Communications Associate
Kessarin.Horvath@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028