Sports betting is currently still illegal in Georgia, despite the attempts from Georgia lawmakers to legalize sports betting in recent years. Lawmakers have stated that they intend to submit a new bill for the upcoming legislative session of 2022.
Will the new bill for the legalization of sport betting face the same fate or could we see a new era for the gambling world in the state of Georgia? The excitement grew when Ohio, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Maryland became the latest states legalizing sports betting. However, for states such as Georgia it is becoming more of a pipe dream than reality despite the movement in recent years.
Sports betting supporters living in Georgia were given glimpses of hope in the past two years when lawmakers considered legalizing the matter. However, similarly to 2020, the bill of 2021 failed in the final stages of the legislative session and never made it to the House of Representatives. The trend of disappointing news has not disheartened Georgia in their push to welcome sports betting to the state, as a fresh bid is expected this year which could provide yet another chance to consider the legalization question on the ballot.
Single amendment on the cards?
Despite the optimism surrounding the legalization of sports betting, one complication looms that might hamper the chances of the bill passing the house. The state’s lawmakers are pushing to squeeze sports betting with casino gambling and horse racing into a single constitutional amendment.
Longtime supporters of legalizing gambling have agreed with House Speaker, David Ralston, that passing gambling as a collective is the better approach. This does not bode well with sports gambling proponents though. According to State Representative Ron Stephens, sports betting has gained momentum in its bid to become a legal activity in the Peach State. Therefore, it would be advantageous to pass the sports betting bill in isolation rather than pushing for a single constitutional amendment covering all forms of legalized gambling.
Gaming attorney Daniel Wallach also came forth to state, “It makes more sense to pass sports betting legislatively this year without tethering it to casino gambling and ballot uncertainty. Sports betting does not fall within the prohibitions [against “casino-style” gaming] of the Georgia Constitution.”
Even though the debate is still ongoing, it seems that the collective approach is soon to be given the thumbs up for the way forward to the legislative session. However, there is no need to throw in the towel, as we can still expect the momentous support to push Georgia voters to weigh in on the concept of legalizing gambling.
All hope is not lost
It is difficult to overlook the growing support on the sports betting side. In 2019, a coalition of Atlanta’s professional sports teams namely the Atlanta Falcons, Braves, Hawks and Atlanta United announced their support towards sports betting. Furthermore, polls have revealed that Georgia voters are in favor of the up-and-coming legislative session. It all depends on the bill surviving the anti-gambling sentiment present within the statehouse.
Along with the support for legal betting amongst various stakeholders, there are many other reasons that make the push for legalized sports betting even more compelling. The taxes that it brings in could provide a huge boost to the state economy. These taxes are often used for road infrastructure and education. Furthermore, similarly to the lottery, the expected bill would dedicate part of betting revenue towards the HOPE Scholarship and kindergarten programs.
Proponents closely involved with the expected bill are confident that sports betting will be signed into law. Although we have seen legalization proposals appear nearly every year for the past decade, this might well be the year for the bill to reach the finish line and join the ranks of all the other
legal US betting
states out there.
