On the second day of the 2024 legislative session, Georgia State Senators started one other try to legalize sports activities betting.
Georgia Home lawmakers throw paper on the conclusion of their 2023 legislative session on March 29, 2023. Georgia sports activities betting didn’t discover enough assist within the Normal Meeting final yr, however lawmakers are anticipated to take up the problem once more in 2024. (Picture: AP)
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee superior Senate Bill 172 by an 8-4 vote. The measure now goes to the complete Senate for extra debate. SB 172 would enable sports activities betting within the Peach State with assistance from a constitutional modification and arrange a gaming fee to control the business.
Invoice Cowsert (R-Athens) is the invoice’s sponsor and stated he believes there might be a “push” from some constituents.
And I simply suppose it could be time and I definitely wished us to handle the problem this yr, record, determine it as soon as and for all, and transfer on.”
In 2023, a number of payments failed that aimed to legalize sports activities betting, together with on-line and in-person at sportsbook kiosks.
The 2024 legislative session is the sixth consecutive time period with no less than one invoice geared toward gaming enlargement on the docket in both chamber.
State of Play in Georgia
SB 172 doesn’t legalize sports activities betting by itself. Lawmakers should draft one other proposed constitutional modification, which might then require approval by two-thirds of the Home and the Senate, and approval from Georgia voters.
Sen. Cowsert stated an modification is required as a result of Georgia voters accepted a lottery in 1992 when sports activities bets might solely be positioned in-person in a Nevada on line casino.
“There’s no means that was contemplated when the voters allowed lotteries, in my view,” Cowsert stated.
The Georgia structure presently prohibits playing. Cowsert stated he believes legalizing sports activities betting by means of a constitutional modification will cut back authorized points across the regulation if it passes.
As reported beforehand by On line casino.org, former Georgia Supreme Courtroom Chief Justice Harold Melton wrote in an opinion final yr that sports activities betting doesn’t require a constitutional modification.
Proposals, Paths, and Opposition
After the previous Chief Justice’s opinion, and the rejection of payments to legalize sports activities betting final yr, the seek for different paths towards legalized sports activities betting intensified.
One potential possibility was for the Meeting to deem sports activities playing as a lottery, and permit the Georgia Lottery to control on-line sportsbooks. The legislative bar for that strategy is barely decrease, needing solely easy majority assist within the Home and Senate.
State Sen. Brandon Seaside (R-Alpharetta) stated in December he plans to introduce such laws. Sen. Seaside desires to convey three on line casino resorts, a pari-mutuel race monitor, and cell sportsbooks to the state.
There are differing opinions on locations for playing proceeds. Many Democrats need sports activities betting to fund needs-based school scholarships. Many Republicans, alternatively, oppose the passage of sports activities betting on ethical grounds.
At the moment, 38 states and the District of Columbia enable some type of sports activities betting.
