May 5, 2021
As published in Savannah CEO
Attorney T. Mills Fleming accepted a recent appointment by Governor Brian Kemp to serve on the Bona Fide Coin Operated Amusement Machine Operator Advisory Board.
The board is composed of ten members, including two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, two members by the Lieutenant Governor, and five members by the Governor. The chief executive officer of the Georgia Lottery Corporation also serves as a member of the board.
In 2013, the Georgia Lottery Corporation began regulating the coin-operated amusement machines (COAM) business in Georgia and, since then, the industry has thrived. Georgians spent more than $3 billion during the last fiscal year playing the machines located primarily at convenience stores and restaurants throughout the state, making the COAM industry a cornerstone of the Georgia Lottery program.
As such, the Bona Fide Coin Operated Amusement Machine Operator Advisory Board provides regulatory oversight to COAM businesses and prevents unauthorized cash payout. The board’s oversight helps protect the state’s fiscal stability, supports educating Georgia’s children through the HOPE scholarship program and pre-kindergarten funding, and improves public welfare.
