ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Atlanta-based developer Dan O'Leary said his plans to build a video lottery destination off Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Gwinnett County are on hold.
This is because he never got an answer from the one entity he needed to hear from the most, the Georgia Lottery.
"I haven't gotten any signals from them," he said.
The State Lottery would have to sign off on, and operate, any kind of video lottery center. There are none currently in the state, and Gov. Nathan Deal's office has said they're opposed to further expansion of the state lottery.
O'Leary said, despite having the site ready to build and ready to generate money for the HOPE scholarship, lottery officials never even came out to take a tour.
"Certainly there must be a good reason, because I know education is important to the state of Georgia," said O'Leary. "I'm not discouraged by it, I'm not offended by it in anyway."
O'Leary said he still has contingency plans for if and when the state allows an extension to the state lottery, saying that he could possibly have bulldozers going to work on a new facility within 90 days of getting a green light.
State Lottery officials did not answer repeated requests Friday for an interview or a statement.
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