Video poker opponent warns against new bill

ATLANTA - An early opponent of video poker visited the Capitol Friday and warned lawmakers against making the casino-style machines legal again. <br> <br> Former Republican Senator Mike Beatty is credited for leading the charge against video poker two years ago. He says he doubts the Legislature will overturn the video poker ban. <br> <br> Beatty said, ``I knew it would resurface. But I&#39;m confident it won&#39;t move forward.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Beatty left the state Senate last year to run for lieutenant governor but lost to incumbent Mark Taylor. <br> <br> Beatty&#39;s visit came a day after a bipartisan group of House members introduced a bill allowing machines that play games of chance such as poker, blackjack or keno. Those machines have been contraband since 2001. <br> <br> The video poker ban came when former Governor Roy Barnes joined with antigambling conservatives to push for an all-out ban on the machines, which flooded into Georgia after South Carolina outlawed them. <br> <br> Lawmakers who want to revive video poker say the machines would produce more than $30 million a year in tax revenue. The state currently faces a budget shortfall. <br> <br> Republican Representative Earl Ehrhart of Powder Springs is sponsoring the new bill. He said, ``Sometimes we do things for political reasons, then we think about it reasonably and go back and make some changes.&#39;&#39;