Things are getting peachy if you’re hoping for the legalization of sports betting in Georgia.
The Georgia Senate introduced a second sports betting bill that’s already getting support from leaders in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Notably, the bill has the backing of Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who leads the Senate, and Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, a Democrat from Stone Mountain.
Jones is a four-year letterwinner in football at the University of Georgia. He mentioned to 11Alive News that introducing sports betting could bring in a significant amount of money for the state. He estimated that the state could gain between $80 to $100 million from sports betting, according to conservative estimates.
The bill also gets support from at least one of Georgia’s professional sports teams. In an interview with the Albany Herald, Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller said: “The Braves are excited about the opportunity to bring mobile sports betting to Georgia. We have watched closely over the last several years as 38 other states have legalized mobile sports betting and collected billions of dollars in tax revenue,” he said.
The top Braves executive says the team is “excited” about the bipartisan measure, which he said brings Atlanta’s pro sports teams “to the table.” #gapol https://t.co/jyi67Vu4VA pic.twitter.com/WCvZFuX7kh
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) January 25, 2024
What the Bill Calls For
If approved, Senate Bill 386 will allow the Georgia Lottery Corporation to oversee sports betting in the Peach State. This includes both online betting and in-person betting at locations run by licensed operators and will require anyone placing a bet to be 21 or older.
SB 386 requires operators to pay a $1 million fee each. Still, it would require 15% of the revenue generated by sports betting in Georgia to benefit the state’s HOPE Scholarships and pre-kindergarten programs.
The proposed bill aims to change the minimum shortfall reserve rules for the Georgia Lottery Corporation. Starting in 2025, the new calculation involves taking half of the net proceeds from the past three years. This adjustment is made to account for the expected rise in demand from sports bettors in Georgia.
What’s Next for the Sports Betting Push in Georgia?
Georgia has been exploring the idea of legalizing sports betting for a while, but no bills have become law so far. The latest effort to make sports betting a reality appears to have a better chance of success compared to previous attempts because it doesn’t need a constitutional amendment.
Senator Clint Dixon’s bill approaches sports gambling as akin to a lottery game, allowing it to sidestep the need for a constitutional amendment referendum. This referendum typically demands support from a two-thirds majority of the Legislature and approval from Georgia voters in November.
The bill is anticipated to be presented in the upcoming session of the Senate Economic and Tourism Development Committee, overseen by GOP Senator Brandon Beach, who is also among the sponsors of the bill.
Daily Fantasy Sports Remains an Option in Georgia
In the meantime, Georgians can still play daily fantasy sports (DFS) competitions, which aren’t explicitly legalized, but there hasn’t been any action taken to prohibit them either.
That means major providers of DFS and Prop games should be able to continue to offer their services to players in Georgia who want to bet real money, while they await the potential legalization of online sports betting.
