A study by GeoComply, commissioned by the Sports Betting Alliance, reported 70,000 attempted sports bets on Super Bowl Sunday by Georgia residents trying to make a wager by attempting to access sportsbooks in neighboring states that allow sports betting.
Crossing the Line
Georgia is one of the few states that has yet to take advantage of the revenue stream provided by taxes on digital sports betting revenues. There has been much debate in the Georgia legislature regarding the passage of a sports betting bill but to no avail, at least not yet.
However, more evidence is being compiled that suggests there is a desire to bring sports betting to the Georgia masses after GeoComply, a technology company specializing in geolocation compliance, reported 70,000 attempts by Georgians to make a wager on Super Bowl Sunday. It was an 87% increase over last year’s Super Bowl attempts.
There are now three states bordering Georgia that are offering sports betting, with Florida recently launching mobile betting while Tennessee has been in the online sportsbook business since November 2020. North Carolina, the third neighboring state, currently offers only retail sports betting but a mobile launch is expected in March.
Moreover, GeoComply reports that 11,000 sports betting accounts in Georgia are capable of accessing mobile betting in those states that allow it, an increase of 74% from last year. The Sports Betting Alliance, a group consisting of FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Fanatics, commissioned the study to illustrate the desire for sports betting in the Peach State.
John Pappas, a spokesperson for GeoComply, said, “Our research and data demonstrate a very clear and growing trend —Georgians will seek out legal alternatives to sports betting. The passage of legal sports betting in Georgia would yield millions in revenue for Georgia taxpayers, rather than it being siphoned off by neighboring states and illegal offshore sportsbooks.
Legalization and regulation will ensure these lost dollars stay in Georgia for the benefit of the state and residents.”
Will Georgia Legalize Mobile Sports Betting?
The Georgia Senate has advanced SB386, its sports betting bill, to the House where its future is murky at best. The bill includes a caveat that stipulates should the House pass the legislation with a two-thirds majority then the voters would decide in November whether they want mobile sports betting in the future.
Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones, a Republican from Butts County, voiced his support for the bill’s victory in the Senate.
“I was proud of the bi-partisan effort in the Senate today,” Jones said. “We are one step closer to providing tens of millions of dollars to education funding for the next generations of Georgia. I look forward to continued discussions to get this done.”
The bill would effectively amend the state’s constitution, which would allow the voters to decide, which was a point of contention from some lawmakers and groups that wanted to avoid a vote at the ballot boxes. Instead, they wanted to navigate the bill through a loophole that would have allowed the legislators to pass the bill without knowing the wishes of their constituents.
