Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/georgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6/ --- description: The April 2026 vote concerned where machines could operate, a separate question from the statewide rules governing prize redemption. title: Rome denies COAM distance waiver, highlighting the local rules behind Georgia’s gift card transition image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/rome-denies-coam-distance-waiver-highlighting-local-rules-behind-georgia-s-gift-8eb762c307d5126237ba60e49210b2c6.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) # Rome denies COAM distance waiver, highlighting the local rules behind Georgia’s gift card transition The April 2026 vote concerned where machines could operate, a separate question from the statewide rules governing prize redemption. By [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) April 14, 2026 2 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fgeorgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Rome%20denies%20COAM%20distance%20waiver%2C%20highlighting%20the%20local%20rules%20behind%20Georgia%E2%80%99s%20gift%20card%20transition "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fgeorgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Rome%20denies%20COAM%20distance%20waiver%2C%20highlighting%20the%20local%20rules%20behind%20Georgia%E2%80%99s%20gift%20card%20transition%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fgeorgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Official group portrait of the Rome City Commission](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/rome-denies-coam-distance-waiver-highlighting-local-rules-behind-georgia-s-gift-w1024.webp) Official commission portrait, used for context; it does not depict the April 13 hearing. Photo: City of Rome [Rome City Commission](https://giftcard.news/organization/city-of-rome/) voted five to two on April 13, 2026 to deny a distance-buffer waiver for coin-operated amusement machines at the [Stop N Go](https://giftcard.news/company/stop-n-go/) store on Calhoun Avenue. One commissioner abstained. The decision, recorded in the city’s approved minutes, concerned the location’s ability to continue operating machines under a local ordinance adopted in 2024\. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## A local permit question The store did not sell alcohol and sought an exception because it could not meet the required separation from a nearby church and a residential property. The city’s rules specified buffers of 300 feet from the church and 150 feet from the home. Its ordinance provided a waiver process for establishments that did not sell alcohol. \[[S01](#article-source-1), [S02](#article-source-2)\] The store’s representatives argued that machines had operated there before the ordinance and that continued operation mattered to the business. Residents spoke both for and against the request. The resulting vote denied the waiver; it should not be represented as a criminal judgment or a finding about a gift card provider. [\[S01\]](#article-source-1) ## Redemption and location are separate questions The vote came before a different statewide change scheduled for July 1, 2026\. House Bill 353 specifies replays, lottery products and nonreloadable or reloadable gift cards as the permitted Class B redemption categories from that date. The law also sets conditions on loading card value and prohibits exchanging the card for cash. [\[S03\]](#article-source-3) Scroll left or right to see all columns __Redemption and location are separate questions__ | Question | Relevant layer | | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | May machines operate at this location? | State licensing and applicable local requirements | | What may a successful player redeem? | State prize-redemption provisions | | How is gift card value loaded? | The statutory conditions governing issuance and loading | For gift card suppliers entering this market, a usable redemption product is only one part of the operating chain. The location must also be entitled to host the activity that produces the value. A software connection cannot itself answer a planning, licensing or distance-buffer question. ## Why the distinction matters An operator can face local conditions while preparing for a statewide redemption change. Those processes have different decision-makers, records and dates. Rome’s April vote illustrates that separation without establishing a statewide enforcement trend or implying that every city uses the same rules. The practical implication is to keep the underlying records distinct: the location’s authorisation, the permitted prize and the card’s loading and spending conditions. Treating all three as a single compliance claim can obscure what a supplier has actually demonstrated. This article is journalistic reporting and does not constitute legal advice. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [\[S01\] Approved minutes, April 13, 2026](https://romepolice.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/%5F04132026-1103?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — City of Rome * [\[S02\] Rome COAM ordinance adopted in 2024](https://www.romega.us/DocumentCenter/View/3192/2024-05-13-Rome---Ordinance--Coin-Operated-Gaming-Machines?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — City of Rome * [\[S03\] HB 353, signed legislation](https://gov.georgia.gov/document/2024-signed-legislation/hb-353/download?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — State of Georgia ## In this article ### Companies * [Stop N Go](https://giftcard.news/company/stop-n-go/) ### Organizations * [City of Rome](https://giftcard.news/organization/city-of-rome/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fgeorgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Rome%20denies%20COAM%20distance%20waiver%2C%20highlighting%20the%20local%20rules%20behind%20Georgia%E2%80%99s%20gift%20card%20transition "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fgeorgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Rome%20denies%20COAM%20distance%20waiver%2C%20highlighting%20the%20local%20rules%20behind%20Georgia%E2%80%99s%20gift%20card%20transition%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Frewards-loyalty%2Fgeorgia-coam-operators-face-dual-compliance-burden-with-local-ordinances-bed1ad81a3d6%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) Journalist — Gift Cards & Digital Gifting Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News. From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. [Find a provider ](https://giftcard.news/find-a-provider/) ## Related articles [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News ### [Giftbit’s Research Incentive Guide Puts Unclaimed Gift Cards and Privacy in Focus](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/giftbit-research-incentives-unclaimed-gift-cards-privacy/) [Maya Bennett](https://giftcard.news/author/maya-bennett/) September 17, 2026 2 min [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News ### [Yoyo Reports Platō Loyalty Results a Year After Card-Linked Launch](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/yoyo-plato-card-linked-loyalty-first-year-results/) [Maya Bennett](https://giftcard.news/author/maya-bennett/) September 16, 2026 2 min [Rewards & Loyalty](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/) News ### [Prezzee sets out employee gift card options for work anniversaries](https://giftcard.news/rewards-loyalty/prezzee-employee-gift-card-options-work-anniversaries/) [Maya Bennett](https://giftcard.news/author/maya-bennett/) September 15, 2026 2 min ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://giftcard.news/#publisher","name":"Gift Card News","url":"https://giftcard.news/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/brand/giftcard-news-logo.svg"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/#person","name":"Suzie Elis","url":"https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/","description":"Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News.","jobTitle":"Journalist — Gift Cards & Digital Gifting","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait.webp","width":256,"height":256,"caption":"Illustrated portrait representing the Suzie Elis editorial profile."}},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://giftcard.news/images/rome-denies-coam-distance-waiver-highlighting-local-rules-behind-georgia-s-gift.webp","contentUrl":"https://giftcard.news/images/rome-denies-coam-distance-waiver-highlighting-local-rules-behind-georgia-s-gift.webp","width":1024,"height":683,"caption":"Official commission portrait, used for context; 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