Legal Status
Sports betting is not yet legal in the state of Georgia.
Legislative Progress
The future of sports betting in Georgia looked promising when the state’s Senate passed SB 142. But the bill failed to get passed by the House before the end of the legislative session on April 2. The bill would have put the question to voters on Election Day in November 2022.
That could still happen if the bill gets reintroduced in the 2022 legislative session (which starts in January 2022) and passed. However, if an impasse remains regarding Georgia’s voter suppression laws, the future of sports betting does not look promising for Georgians.
Casino Participation
There is one casino in Georgia, the Emerald Princess in Brunswick, but there is no reason to think it will play a significant role in sports betting coming to Georgia. Since it is a cruise ship, it can get around Georgia’s gambling ban by moving out into open water and away from the state’s jurisdiction.
Should SB 142 (or the House version, HB 86) get revived and passed during the 2022 legislative session, they only dealt with online and mobile sports betting. So, the casino would not have any impact. Since Georgia has not been a pro-gambling state, it is unlikely any bill allowing for new casinos gets approved.
Role of the Lottery
If SB 142 or HB 86 becomes law, both call for the state lottery to regulate online/mobile sports betting for Georgia. According to reports, some lawmakers think doing so will allow them to get around the need for a constitutional amendment that would make legalizing sports betting easier.
Professional Sports Team Involvement
In 2019, Georgia’s four professional sports teams (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta United and the Atlanta Hawks) joined forces to express their support for legalized mobile and online sports betting on pro sports (but not college).
The letter was posted to the SportsIntegrityAlliance.com website. In the letter, they recognized the revenue benefits for the state along with the need for consumer protection and protecting the integrity of the games.
Licensing
With either the House or the Senate bill, the state’s lottery would be in charge of regulating the industry, which would presumably include licensing. Since there are no casinos, Indian casinos, or racinos in the state, there is a good chance any bill that gets passed will not require an online or mobile book to be tethered to a land-based retail entity.
The House bill called for a 14 percent tax rate and the Senate bill just 10 percent. The initial licensing fee would be $50,000 with a renewal fee of $900,000.
Expected Live Date
It is hard to say when sports betting could go live in Georgia. There have been efforts to legalize it the last few years, but they have all been unsuccessful. But the general belief is that it is no longer a matter of if the state will legalize it but when.
If the state can do it without having to amend the state constitution, the soonest possible time would be mid-2022. But if the question gets put to the voters in November 2022, then late-2023 would be the target.
However, with the troubles the state has had trying to get something passed, it would not be shocking if it is 2024 or 2025 before sports betting launches in Georgia.
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