Georgia Sports Betting Efforts Fail Again in Atlanta Capital
For the foreseeable future, sports betting will not be allowed in Georgia.
Earlier this year, there appeared to be a good chance that sports gambling would be approved by the General Assembly. For many years, the organization has been against almost all types of gaming.
Without any action, the state's legislature session adjourned on Thursday.
On its 40th and last legislative day, the House Rules Committee chose not to bring the two sports gambling statutes it was in possession of—Senate Bill 386 and Senate Resolution 579—to the entire House floor.
Lawmakers in the House couldn't agree on how to spend the money collected from sportsbooks.
The state and citizens should be informed about how the casino profits will be used to better the Peach State, according to House Minority Whip Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville). Park and many other House Democrats refused to support the sports gambling initiatives without providing a good explanation. This made it impossible for the Republicans to secure a two-thirds majority in favor of the necessary resolution component.
Georgia Stays Off the Sports Betting Scene
Since 1992, when a statewide voter referendum permitted the state-run lottery, Georgia has not legalized or expanded additional gambling options. According to recent surveys, the populace is in favor of the state legalizing sports betting. If future tax revenues were allocated to the state's HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) higher education program, 52% of statewide voters would support regulated sports gambling, according to a survey conducted in early 2023.
Legislators in Atlanta worked hard to figure out how to introduce legal sportsbooks in the state, including internet ones.
The original SB 386's sponsor, state senator Clint Dixon (R-Burford), thought sports gambling could be viewed as an extension of the lottery and, as such, wouldn't require a statewide voter referendum to modify the Georgia Constitution. That would have made the legislative process simpler because a referendum wouldn't have required the approval of a two-thirds majority.
Before it cleared the state Senate in early February, Dixon's chamber colleagues objected and included a clause. According to that addendum, SB 386 cannot become law unless a Georgia Constitutional amendment is approved.
Let's look at Senate Resolution 579.
During its passage through the Senate, SB 386 was subject to additional modifications, such as an increase in the proposed tax on gross sports betting wins from 20% to 25%. Up to 16 sports gambling licenses, each costing $1 million year, were proposed in the measure.
After Dixon's bill was amended to include the referendum mandate, Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) filed SR 579. The resolution asked voters to approve the General Assembly's creation and enactment of rules governing sports gambling.
Opposition Wins Once More
In Georgia, proposals to expand gaming are discussed at almost every legislative session. When it came to preventing increased gambling, the state's strong and influencing religious interests were unbeatable.
"This is profoundly dangerous for Georgians and opens up all kinds of dangers,” Suzanne Guy, a member of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s Public Affairs Committee, said last month regarding sports gambling legalization efforts.
There are laws governing sports gambling in thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia. It will be at least 2025 before Georgia becomes the 39th.
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