The Georgia Senate has passed a bill that will allow sports betting in the Peach State.
However, despite senators voting 34-15 to pass Senate Bill 386, it was also decided that the bill would require a constitutional amendment before being signed into law. This would require the support of at least 38 senators casting doubts on the bill’s possible passage.
Previous attempts to expand legal gambling in the state have met with similar issues with lawmakers unable to agree on what additional gambling should be made available in the state.
Speaking of the bill Sen. Jason Esteves said:
“This issue is frustrating because so many of us generally agree about it, but year after year, we’ve seen it get stuck.”
According to the bill’s supporters, sports wagering can be legalized under the state lottery meaning that an amendment is not required. In 1992 the state voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to allow the lottery to launch.
Senators were also unable to agree on what taxes collected from Georgia sports wagering should be spent on with some calling for funding problem gambling initiatives while others wanted the majority of funds diverted to educational programs.
The senators that support a constitutional amendment argue that Georgia voters never intended sports betting to be included when they passed a lottery in 1992. Some even suggested that avoiding a statewide vote was “sneaky,” and that any law passed without voter approval would be defeated by a court challenge.
The last effort to pass a constitutional amendment failed in 2023 when it won 30 votes, short of the 38 needed.
Bill highlights
- 20% tax rate
- 1 license to Georgia Lottery
- 8 licenses to sports interests in the state
- 7 additional licenses to private operators
- private operators to pay $1 million per year
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.