The latest legislative attempt to legalize sports betting in the state of Georgia failed as a re-introduced bill failed to pass through the Senate before the legislative session ended.
Senate Resolution 135, if passed, would have legalized all forms of gambling including casinos, horse racing and sports betting if voters approved a constitutional amendment.
SR 135 would have legalized all forms of gambling including casinos, horse racing and sports betting
The resolution was previously introduced in 2021 when it was passed by the House Committee on Economic Development & Tourism. There was significant support for the bill during 2021, but there wasn’t enough time in the legislative session to vote on it.
The bill was then re-introduced by co-sponsors Sen. Jeff Mullis, and Sen. Bill Cowsert in the latest legislative session. The bill was discussed in the House at length before a vote took place on April 4th, 2022. It was passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 160-6 before it was moved onto the Senate.
However, Georgia’s legislative session ended on the same day that the vote took place meaning that the Senate had no time to discuss or vote on the bill.
This means that, as it stands, hopes for legal sports betting in Georgia are dead in the water for 2022. As the state legislature only meets once a year, Georgians must wait until January 2023 to learn if there will be any further attempts to legalize gambling in their state.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.