Coalition President Jerry Luquire said Rogers (R-Woodstock) is too close to the industry to have a leadership role during the upcoming legislative session, when the coalition expects gambling will be a public issue for lawmakers. The group did not call on Rogers to leave his Senate seat.
Rogers faces a contested primary against GOP challenger Brandon Beach.
“I want him to step down because of his proximity or accessory to gambling activity in the past,” Luquire said.
Rogers did not immediately return a message seeking comment. He recently acknowledged appearing on a show that years ago predicted which teams would win upcoming games, a service that gamblers call handicapping. Rogers said he read off a script and did not personally make predictions.
In a 1999 episode, an announcer introduced Rogers as having “been a handicapper for decades,” according to WSB-TV. The issue was first reported by Atlanta Unfiltered, a news website. Rogers said he was not promoting gambling, even though the show advertised the accuracy of his picks and was sponsored by an offshore casino.
“It’s not my role to determine what people use the information for,” Rogers told WSB-TV. “I was simply there to read a script, what they did with the information had nothing to do with me.”
For once Mr. Rogers, take responsibility for your words and actions. I'm just disappointed that the redrawing of your district lines no longer allows me to vote against you; even when you ran unopposed, I voted against you by skipping you on my ballot.
Best of luck to Mr. Beach. Care to handicap the outcome of the race, Chip?
If I could vote for his opponent I would Rogers is nothing but a fake and can't be trusted.