Published on: February 13, 2026, 11:14 AM.
Updated on: February 13, 2026, 11:15 AM.
- A former JCPenney location in the Macon Mall may transform into a casino.
- The establishment of the casino hinges on Georgia lifting its restrictions on commercial casinos.
- The journey to legalizing casinos in Georgia could span several years.
The enclosed shopping mall, once a thriving part of American culture in the 1980s and 90s, is facing ongoing challenges. Experts in real estate predict that nearly 90% of the remaining indoor shopping centers in the U.S. may either shut down or be repurposed in the next ten years.
A rising trend involves transforming large spaces within anchor malls into casinos. Several states have already made this shift.
In Pennsylvania, the former Sears outlet at York Galleria is now the Hollywood Casino York. Similarly, a previous Bon-Ton at Westmoreland Mall has been repurposed as Live! Casino Pittsburgh, and a former Macy’s at Nittany Mall is set to debut as the Happy Valley Casino.
Virginia has seen the Belk department store at Bristol Mall transformed into the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel Bristol. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, Casino Salem operates within The Mall at Rockingham Park, and The Nash Casino is situated inside the Pheasant Lane Mall.
Macon Georgia Shopping Mall
Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI), the real estate investment trust formed from a spinoff of Penn Entertainment, currently possesses 69 casinos and gaming facilities across the U.S. GLPI has secured an agreement with the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority to acquire the former JCPenney store in the Macon Mall.
This agreement enables GLPI to take over the JCPenney location, which has been vacant since 2017. The company will pay the Urban Development Authority $500,000 for the exclusive rights to decide on the property’s future over the next five years, with a potential purchase price of $20 million if they proceed.
GLPI has the option to extend its exclusivity for an additional five years in 2031 for another $500,000. In the meantime, the firm plans to invest approximately $1.5 million for the demolition of the existing building.
In September 2021, Hull Property Group donated the largely vacant Macon Mall to the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority, which focuses on the county’s economic development initiatives. Macon ranks as the fourth most populous city within Georgia and is ideally located in the state.
Is Gambling Permitted in Georgia?
A casino firm acquiring a mall site for a gaming facility may seem like a long shot, given that Georgia currently forbids slot machines, table games, and sports betting. Nonetheless, efforts to repeal the casino ban in the state have repeatedly been explored in recent legislative sessions.
For casinos to gain approval, a state-wide referendum must receive a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the legislature. Following that, the ballot initiative would need simple majority support from the public in a statewide vote.
Recently, GLPI executives Melissa Furillo and Steve Ladany spoke before the House Study Committee on Gaming in Georgia, advocating that the introduction of casino gaming would create economic opportunities, contribute to significant job growth, and generate substantial tax revenue.