Georgia Lt. Gov. Sues GOP Rival in $100M Defamation Suit Linked to Gambling Machines
Posted on: June 8, 2026, 11:05h.
Last updated on: June 8, 2026, 11:05h.
- Burt Jones seeks $100 million over alleged campaign defamation
- Lawsuit claims ads falsely portrayed business as illegal casino
- Republican gubernatorial rivals face June 16 Georgia runoff election
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is suing healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson, his opponent in the Republican gubernatorial runoff, for $100 million, alleging campaign materials falsely portrayed his family business as operating an illegal casino.
In a lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court and seen by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jones’ company, Jones Petroleum, claims parts of Jackson’s campaign defamed the company and its owner by falsely linking it to criminal activity and suggesting it benefited from racketeering and corruption.
Jones Petroleum is the sole stockholder of Convenience Stores Inc., which is legally licensed to operate coin-operated amusement machines (COAMs) in Georgia.
‘Burt’s Bribe Machine’
Among the offending materials is a campaign image showing what the company described as a fake gas station sign bearing a Jones Petroleum logo above the words “Lucky Stop Casino” – an image falsely implying it was operating an illegal gambling venue, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit states the Jackson campaign has also falsely alleged that Jones is a “corrupt career politician” who voted to legalize the COAM industry for his own benefit. Jones was 13 years old in 1992 when that vote took place and was consequently not a member of the state legislature.
Meanwhile, a website, “bribeburt.com,” includes “Burt’s Bribe Machine” – an interactive slot-machine animation that reveals a different corruption allegation with each spin. The website, which describes itself as being “Paid for by Jackson for Governor Inc.,” was still online at the time of writing.
The company argues the alleged damage is ongoing because the campaign material remains publicly available. In the complaint, Jones Petroleum claims the harm exceeds $100 million and could jeopardize business relationships and franchise agreements if customers or partners conclude the company is involved in illegal conduct.
In addition to monetary damages, Jones Petroleum is asking the court to order the removal of the disputed campaign material and a public retraction.
Mutual Defamation?
In March, Jackson filed his own defamation lawsuit against Jones and Jones’ campaign. That complaint alleged Jones falsely claimed Jackson built his fortune through work connected to Planned Parenthood and by helping doctors perform transgender procedures on minors. Jackson contends these allegations were knowingly false and defamatory.
Jones and Jackson are scheduled to face each other in a June 16 Republican runoff after neither candidate secured the majority needed to win the nomination outright in the May primary.
The winner will advance to the November general election to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and is expected to face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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