Major Hurdle Cleared for Legal Sports Betting in Georgia — But There’s a Catch
The legislative push in Georgia to finally legalize sports betting cleared a major hurdle Thursday, with the state Senate passing one of the proposed sports bills and sending it to the House. It came with a surprise alteration to the Bill that would include the need for a constitutional amendment to pass. Legal sports betting in Georgia would grant residents access to our best sports betting sites.
There has been a lot of back-and-forth among state lawmakers eager to pass legal Georgia sports betting surrounding the need for a constitutional amendment before passing a sports wagering bill into law.
Bill SB 386, passed Thursday, sought to avoid changing the state constitution by putting sports betting under the lottery umbrella. But Thursday's Senate vote ultimately changed the course of the Bill's path with a stipulation that made a constitutional amendment necessary before it was legalized.
It ensures that two steps will be necessary before a legal sports betting law is passed. It must make it through the Georgia House of Representatives and also go before voters on the November election ballot.
Support for a constitutional amendment
There are two Bills before Georgia legislators to legalize sports betting in the Peach State.
Each is similar in the hope of getting something done in the near future in terms of bringing a legal sports wagering platform to the state so residents can wager with our best sportsbooks. One has a constitutional amendment included in the plan, and one hopes to avoid a constitutional amendment by tying sports betting to the state's Lottery.
Sen. Bill Cowsert, author of the pro-amendment SB 172, went on record at Thursday's Senate session and argued, "It is fair [the amendment] to the people of Georgia. It does not undermine the purposes and objectives of this bill. And I think it is the appropriate way to do it."
He concluded, "It is disingenuous at best and just sneaky to try to circumvent the voters of the state of Georgia.
Senator Cowsert's argument turned out to be an effective one. The Bill with the constitutional amendment was passed by a vote of 34-7 in the Senate.
What is in Bill SB 386?
The Georgia Senate OK'd a Bill that would make 16 mobile sports betting licenses available, some of which would surely land with our best sports betting apps.
Under the Bill, the state's professional sports teams and venues would have a chance to gain a sports betting license. Those entities include the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta FC, Atlanta Dream, Augusta National, the PGA Tour, and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Georgia Lottery would also be made eligible for a license, and seven standalone opportunities would be presented to hopeful operators in what is expected to be a robust Georgia scene.
A $100K licensing fee would be put in place under the Bill, as would a $1 million annual renewal fee. The tax rate would be set at 20% and would benefit educational programs in the state.
Looking forward
Whether SB 386 will pass the House of Representatives in Georgia remains to be seen. Previous Bills have stalled in the House before and could do so again.
However, bipartisan support in the Senate for an amended SB 386 is a significant step and acknowledges what is already occurring in the state.
"I have a newsflash: sports betting is already happening here in Georgia," said Sen. Brandon Beach, co-sponsor of the Bill without a constitutional amendment. "It's just unregulated, it's easily accessible to minors, it lacks responsible gaming safeguards, and it generates zero revenue for the state of Georgia."
Sen. Derek Mallow said that “A vote for this bill is a vote for kids.”
So now we wait on the House of Representatives. If it bucks its recent trend of stalling such legislation, voters will have their say in November.
It effectively puts the possibility of a legal sports betting launch in Georgia in 2024 out of reach, so 2025 looks like the earliest we could see legal sports wagering in the Peach State.
