A Georgia lawmaker has filed legislation aiming to legalize sports betting in the state.
The first of potentially multiple gambling bills set to be considered during the current legislative session is Senate Bill 57, which is sponsored by Senator Billy Hickman of Statesboro.
The proposed legislation would generate revenue for education through the licensing and taxation of sports betting. The bill makes provisions for sports betting through mobile devices or at authorized machines.
Hickman told local press that people in the state of Georgia are already betting on sports and legislation is necessary to regulate it. Hickman has said that he is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about this bill despite several attempts to pass sports betting legislation failing to garner enough support in recent years.
SB 57 will create a specific commission to oversee sports betting in the state while it will also allow for the establishment of three horse racing tracks for legal horse race wagering.
Speaking of objections to legal sports betting Hickman said:
“And it’d be regulated, you could put the stops in place to reduce the crime, reduce the other forms of illegal stuff against it. right now it’s wide open there’s no regulations against what’s going on.”
According to Harold Melton, the former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, there is no requirement for a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting. The process of amending the constitution is lengthy and requires the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers as well as a voter referendum.
A poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that the majority of surveyed voters were in favor of legalizing sports betting.
Image credit: Bobby Hidy / CC BY-SA 2.0
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.