Georgia Sports Betting Legalization Stalls for 2025

Sports betting is unlikely to be introduced in Georgia in the near future, as efforts in both houses of the state legislature have stalled.

Several US states have moved forward with legalization plans, but lawmakers that would oversee a legal Georgia sports betting market reached the end of the current legislative cycle without a clear path. 

At the start of the month, Missouri sports betting became legal, the 39th state to legalize sports betting, joining North Carolina sports betting, which launched in 2024. Other large markets, including Texas sports betting and California sports betting, are still debating the issue, while Georgia was viewed as a potential candidate but is no longer. 

A Georgia Senate committee on tourism recently suggested sports betting could be a tool to enhance the state’s appeal as a travel destination. Still, no formal proposals were introduced, and momentum had shifted to the House, where a committee was studying gaming expansion. That committee released a report following several hearings but made no recommendations on sports betting. 

Progress slowed even further in October when Rep. Marcus Wiedower, the chair of the House Study Committee on Gaming, resigned from the legislature. He had introduced two proposals in 2025, including one to put sports betting before voters in a 2026 statewide referendum and one proposing online-only sports betting regulated by the Georgia Lottery, but neither advanced. 

Reviving the issue would appear to need new leadership and bipartisan support, so residents will need to wait quite some time to get legal access to the best sports betting sites. Any proposal that required a constitutional amendment would also require a public vote, and there seems to be little appetite among lawmakers to add sports betting to the November 2026 ballot. 

Missouri reports smooth launch

While Georgia’s sports betting efforts have stalled, Missouri reported a strong start to its legal sports betting launch on Dec. 1. The Missouri Gaming Commission described the launch as successful, noting that more than 250,000 accounts on Missouri sports betting apps were active on the first day. 

Missouri was the first state to launch sports wagering in 2025 and the first since North Carolina’s rollout in March 2024. Online sportsbooks from the main national brands are now live across the state offering Missouri sportsbook promos, and some are available in retail venues.

The launch followed a constitutional amendment that was approved by voters in the 2024 general election, and the Commission said that staff had worked hard to meet the deadline for launch. 

Data from geolocation services provider GeoComply revealed that approximately 2.6 million geolocation checks were conducted in Missouri within the first 24 hours, indicating high early demand. 

While Missouri has joined most US states in offering regulated sports betting, Georgia remains one of the states with strict anti-gambling laws, permitting only limited gaming activity through the state lottery and daily fantasy sports. Still, despite a strong sports culture and public support, sports betting seems unlikely to come to Georgia before 2027.