Georgia Sports Betting Amendment Fails in State House

A proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed voters to decide on Georgia sports betting failed in the state House on March 6, leaving the state's prohibition on wagering intact.

House Resolution 450 required 120 votes but received only 63 in favor and 98 against, falling well short of the required goal before a critical legislative deadline.

The measure proposed a statewide referendum asking voters whether to legalize Georgia sports betting. Revenue from the industry would have been directed to a dedicated fund supporting pre-K programs and other educational initiatives. A portion of the money would also have funded prevention and treatment programs addressing gambling addiction.

State lawmakers have repeatedly tried to legalize sports betting over the years. The bill’s failure means Georgia remains one of 11 states without sports betting. You can track the status of legal sports betting across the nation with our legal sports betting states tracker.

Debate before the vote showed disagreements extending beyond the legalization question itself. Rep. Al Williams said he generally supports expanded gaming but opposed the resolution because Democrats had little input on how revenue would be distributed, while Rep. Alan Powell, who favors gambling expansion, also urged colleagues to reject the proposal, saying the legislation focused too narrowly on sports wagering.

Because the resolution failed before Crossover Day, it cannot advance this year. Georgia's legislative session is scheduled to end on April 2.

Mississippi mobile sports betting effort also stalls

Georgia’s failed vote came as lawmakers in another Southern state reached a similar outcome on sports betting legislation.

Legislators overseeing Mississippi sports betting again failed to move forward with proposals tied to mobile sports wagering and online sweepstakes casinos after both measures missed a critical committee deadline earlier this month. Because the bills were not reported out of committee before March 3, they automatically expired for the 2026 legislative session.

Mississippi currently allows sports betting only at licensed casinos, leaving statewide mobile wagering unavailable. House Bill 1581 attempted to change that by authorizing mobile sportsbooks tied to existing casino operators. The Mississippi House approved the bill on February 4 by an 85-31 vote, continuing a pattern in which the chamber has supported mobile sports betting for three straight years.

Despite that support, the proposal stalled in the Senate after being referred to committee and failing to receive further consideration before the deadline.

The alternative bill proposed higher taxes on mobile sportsbooks while lowering the tax rate applied to physical casinos. It also reduced the number of potential licenses that could be issued under a statewide mobile betting system.

Meanwhile, a separate effort targeting online sweepstakes casinos also stalled. Senate Bill 2104 aimed to prohibit those platforms in Mississippi. The Senate passed the bill on February 4 before sending it to the House Gaming Committee.

The measure did not move out of committee before the same March 3 deadline, ending its chances of becoming law during the 2026 session.