Georgia’s latest attempt to pass a bill that would legalize sports betting crashed and burned just as all others before it had met their fate. The state house voted 98-63 against moving ahead with House Resolution 450 (HR 450).
HR 450 is a resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Georgia, which would authorize the Georgia General Assembly to provide by general law for sports betting in the state.
Similar bills seeking to legalize sports betting in the Peach State also failed to gain any traction.
Friday was the last day for bills to cross over from one government chamber to the other. The hope had been that a public vote on the proposed amendment to the state constitution allowing legal sports betting would be on the November 2026 ballot. That now seems unlikely to happen.
HR 450 would have directed proceeds to a special fund for educational programs in the state. There was also to be funding from sports betting set aside that would benefit programs seeking to prevent and treat gambling addiction.
A surprising opponent of HR 450 was Democrat Rep. Al Williams. He voted against the bill, even though he is one of the sponsors of the bill.
Williams’ reasoning for this change of heart was similar to one being put forth by other Democrats. They feel the Republican majority in the state house isn’t allowing Democrat input into what is a bipartisan bill.
“This is in need of bipartisan support, and to get bipartisan support, you need to let the folks on this side of the aisle have some say on how the money is going to be divided,” Williams said when speaking on the House floor, according to
reporting by the Georgia Recorder. “The last time I was handed a plate of food and told ‘Eat this,’ I was quite young and didn’t have any choice. Since then, I get to decide what to eat.”
A major proponent of legalizing sports betting in Georgia is the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), a lobby group representing five major sports betting sites - BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, Bet365, and Fanatics.
“Legal online sports betting would generate over $150 million in new annual tax revenue for Georgia to fund important initiatives and help strengthen our local economy,” the SBA noted on its web page. The organization went on to argue that Georgians are crossing state lines to bet legally in Tennessee and North Carolina, or online via predatory offshore sites that aren’t regulated in the US market.
Carpenter makes an impassioned plea in support of sports betting
A surprising and actually shocking supporter of the legalization of sports betting in Georgia is Republican Rep. Kasey Carpenter. He’s a self-admitted compulsive gambler.
“I am an addict,” Carpenter said on the house floor. “I started picking football games when I was 8 years old.
This bill, to me, is about safety. Legalizing sports betting eliminates the chase. You got $100, you can bet $100. The bookie, he gives you until Monday, so you lose $100, then you turn it to $200, then you turn it to $400, next thing you know, you’re down $1,200.
“This eliminates that.”
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