Georgia’s legalized sports betting prospects curtailed for another year
Hopes of legalization now look slim after two separate pieces of legislation failed to be mentioned in the House before the Peach State’s crossover day
Georgia’s hopes of legalized sports betting passing in the 2025 legislative session have been quashed after two pieces of legislation failed to be among those called for a vote during Thursday’s final session.
The session was brought to a close by Georgia general assembly speaker Jon Burns without mention of House Bill 686 and House Resolution 450, which both received approval from state’s House of Representatives committee on higher education.
Yesterday, March 6, marked the final day for the bills to be sent to the senate, known as crossover day.
HB 686 was the first to be approved for a floor vote, followed by HR 450, but without the call to vote on either during the evening session, the chances of the proposals being revived in the final month of the legislative period are slim.
Higher Education Committee chairman Chuck Martin addressed both bills failing to pass, noting, as per the Associated Press (AP): “It came in late and I guess people just weren’t there yet. We’ll keep working with people and trying to do what’s in the best interest of the state.”
Both bills were first submitted last week, with HB 686 designed to establish the framework for a regulated sports betting market, overseen by the Georgia Lottery Corporation.
It was amended on March 5, increasing the proposed tax rate to 24%, up from the 20% outlined in the original bill.
Within the regulated market, 16 licenses would have been available, including seven for operators via a public bidding process.
Licenses would also be handed to five of the state’s professional sports teams, while Augusta National Golf Club, Atlanta Speedway, and the PGA Tour would also have been eligible licensees.
HR 450 proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow the public to vote on the prospect of legalized sports betting in November 2026. Were that vote to have been successful, a regulated market could have been launched in July 2027.
State representative Marcus Wiedower, a sponsor of both bills, had previously stressed the benefits of a regulated sports betting market.
He said: “I believe strongly – and Georgians by wide margins agree with me – that this change will not only bring in much needed revenue to educate our youngest learners but also provide consumer protections that don’t exist in today’s black market.”
The amendment would have required backing from a two-thirds majority in the house to have progressed.
Both proposals would have provided significant funds to the Georgia Lottery HOPE Scholarship program, as well as generating up to $22.5m to be allocated towards gambling harms treatment services.
Last month, Georgia’s senate committee on regulated industries and utilities voted against Senate Resolution 131, a proposal that would have legalized both sports betting and igaming through a constitutional amendment.