But lawmakers working to ban the games say they're still hopeful they'll get to tackle the issue when they convene under the Gold Dome on Aug. 1 to redraw state political district lines.

Opponents of the games say they were seconds away from having them banned on the last day of the General Assembly's regular session in March.

But a defender of the games stood in front of the House of Representatives and talked until its midnight deadline, preventing a vote.

Since then, Republican leaders, who spearheaded the anti-video poker charge, have asked Mr. Barnes to bring back the issue during the special session.

Mr. Barnes' spokeswoman, Joselyn Butler, said the governor has made no final decision on the request. He might add the issue any time between now and the beginning of the session or include it in a second special session to redraw Georgia's congressional districts, she said.

Under state law, only issues listed by the governor may be acted upon during special sessions.

''I'm glad he's still open to amending the call (for a special session),'' said Sen. Mike Beatty, R-Jefferson, who led the anti-video poker efforts. ''(But) we would have been delighted if he had made the call today.''

Mr. Beatty and others say the games began flooding into his northeast Georgia district - and other areas bordering South Carolina - after that state banned them last year.

They say the General Assembly needs to act as soon as possible to prevent the games from continuing to spread throughout the state.

Georgia law doesn't allow cash payouts from the machines. But critics, including state and local police, argue that the law is hard to enforce and commonly ignored by machine owners, who often use them for illegal gambling.

A spokesman said Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, who presides over the state Senate, wants to address the video poker issue as soon as possible.

''If the governor wants to do it now, he's ready to pass it now,'' David Sutton, the lieutenant governor's spokesman, said. ''But if the governor wants to do it in (regular session in) January, he'll do it in January.''

Reach Doug Gross at (404) 589-8424 or mnews@mindspring.com.