Georgia Sports activities Betting, Gaming Legalization Efforts Useless for 2022
Georgia sports activities betting and on line casino playing will stay prohibited within the state for at the very least one other yr. That’s the decision after the Normal Meeting concluded its 2022 legislative session yesterday.
Home members in Georgia throw up shredded paper to suggest the conclusion of the Normal Meeting’s 2022 session on April 5, 2022. With lawmakers adjourning for the yr, Georgia sports activities betting and gaming measures might want to wait at the very least one other yr for additional consideration. (Picture: Atlanta Journal-Structure)
A Home committee final week handed two measures looking for to finish Georgia’s longtime prohibition of most playing. Except for the Georgia Lottery, the state is absent of economic and tribal casinos, sports activities betting, pari-mutuel wagering, and iGaming.
State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) is of the assumption that Georgia ought to dissolve its anti-gaming stance. He hopes the state will reap the monetary advantages of regulating sports activities betting, and probably full-fledged casinos with slot machines and desk video games. However most of his Republican colleagues proceed to really feel in any other case.
Lawmakers Fold on Gaming Measures
The Home Financial Improvement and Tourism Committee backed Senate Decision 135 and Senate Invoice 142 final week.
The decision sought to ask residents in the event that they assist amending the Georgia Structure to allow “sports activities betting and different types of betting and playing.” SB142 was depending on the decision, as it will have shaped the Georgia Sports activities Betting Fee to control such wagering ought to Georgians have signed off on the decision.
However alas, voters won’t lend their blessing to the constitutional modification movement, because the query won’t attain the November poll. With the Georgia Normal Meeting adjourned for the yr, the gaming motions have been shelved.
Stephens tried to win over his fellow Republicans by stressing that the gaming statutes would have primarily solely protected customers and led to new tax income for the state. The longtime state politician says sports activities betting and different types of playing are already occurring in Georgia via offshore, unregulated channels.
“[Gambling] is in your telephone. It’s an app, however the cash goes offshore,” Stephens burdened. The Financial Improvement and Tourism Committee Chair mentioned his gaming payments are merely measures to manage and tax an exercise occurring within the state.
Stephens’ opinion, nevertheless, wasn’t embraced by sufficient of his fellow Home lawmakers to result in a flooring vote on the decision.
Staunch Opposition Stays
State lawmakers within the Home shortly rejected the committee backing of the gaming statutes.
“This isn’t one thing that the state of Georgia desires its stamp of approval on,” mentioned Rep. Randy Nix (R-LaGrange). “We’re the primary state to do enterprise in. We don’t want this. That is what individuals do who’re determined, and this state is doing extraordinarily nicely.”
Jeanne Seaver, a Republican candidate working for lieutenant governor, agrees.
Playing will destroy our state and the whole lot it entails,” Seaver mentioned. “You’ve seen what it’s executed to New Jersey. I don’t wish to see Georgia turn out to be the brand new Chicago.”
Within the coming years, Chicago will turn out to be a serious gaming market with a downtown built-in resort within the Windy Metropolis, plus 5 smaller regional casinos within the Chicago suburbs of Waukegan, Rockford, South Suburbs, Williamson County, and Danville.
Georgia is one in every of solely 4 states that doesn’t have business or tribal casinos, pari-mutuel wagering, racetrack gaming, on-line gaming, or sports activities betting. Solely Hawaii, Utah, and Vermont also can make that declare.
