Infinite Energy Center.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 15, 2018 | When Justin Timberlake played the Infinite Energy Arena on May 11, there was a record attendance, along with record gate receipts, as more than 12,149 people were in attendance, paying $2.2 million for tickets for the performance. A few days later, the U2 tour would break the Arena’s attendance and gate receipts records again.
Ever wonder how that money pile from these performers is split up? You may not realize this, but the performer gets it all.
That’s right. Even though the venue, the Infinite Energy Center, provided the stage, sound, seats, et al, the Center makes not a dime from the gate receipts. Every nickel goes to the artist.
The best the Center can do is to sell enough drinks, popcorn, hamburgers and merchandise items to hope to make a few bucks to keep the building open. It’s standard procedure in order to get the big names to local venues, for the entertainers demand the entire gate for themselves.
We bring this up as the lobbyists for the gambling world are now working extra hard to convince the Georgia legislature to authorize casino gambling in our state. Yet these gambling interests don’t merely want legalized casinos. Oh, no. They also want to build high-rise hotels adjacent to the casino, and then seek to attract big-name entertainers to perform at the hotel. That allows them to pull in big crowds to the hotel, which in turn will allow more people to throw away their money at the adjacent casinos.
Look further. The casino people include in their contract with the entertainer that the entertainer is barred from performing at any other venue within 100 miles of Atlanta. That would include the Infinite Energy Center, the Omni, Fox Theatre, the Cobb Performing Center or any other venue within 100 miles of Atlanta.
Therefore, under casino gambling, venues like the Infinite Energy Center are directly harmed. Remember, they were built with local tax funds. With the arrival of casino gambling in Georgia, these locally-built arenas will lose attendance from big-name entertainers, and cut significantly into the possibility that the Center being able to break even annually, much less be in the black.
And do you have any idea who suffers in such a situation? You’re not going to like the answer. Why, of all things, it’s the public, the local taxpayers, who will suffer! Yes, you and me. After all it was the local government which had to guarantee payment for the construction and operation of the arenas and other venues.
These days the gambling interests are promising the State of Georgia high tax revenues if we legalize such gambling in Georgia. But they do this by gobbling up not only the revenue from gambling, but revenue from their massive hotels. And meanwhile, they pay to the state only a paltry fee, compared with their enormous revenue. And as a consequence, other venues built solely for entertainment by the local governments are harmed immensely.
Legalized gambling is big, really big, and reaps millions in profits. That’s why they are spending millions to legislate casinos here.
These days, and especially this political year, is the time to talk to our legislators. Explain to them that the unintended consequence of legalized gambling is that it will cost local governments, who have built entertainment venues. Tell them you want to keep the entertainment local, and not at a big hotel adjacent to a casino.
Tell them you don’t want any more gambling in Georgia. After all, it will hurt Georgia in so many ways should casino gambling be approved here.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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