The Georgia State Senate legislative session has come to an end. With this, the hope for a regulated online sports betting market also ends. The Senate adjourned without a vote on HB 237. This kills the hopes for Georgia online sportsbooks in 2023. Lawmakers will have to wait until next year to try and push sports betting legislation in the Peach State.
Back To The Drawing Board For Sports Betting Bill
HB 237 was a last-ditch effort to bring online sportsbooks to Georgia this year. Initially, a soap box derby bill, sports betting language was added to the legislation in an attempt to regulate the market without a constitutional amendment. This was a longshot attempt by lawmakers, and the Senate didn’t even vote on the measure.
HB 237 was one of many failed legislations in 2023. Lawmakers attempted to pass SR 140 and joint bill SB 172 which would have led to a constitutional amendment for sports betting. These bills would have allowed for both online and retail sports betting but were unsuccessful in the State Senate.
HB 380 and SB 57 were other measures that failed to pass. Both measures would have launched sports betting without the need for a constitutional amendment. Neither bill made it out of their respective chambers.
Lawmakers will now need to aim for the 2024 session in an attempt to push legislation. Unfortunately, there is no early indication that there will be different results next year.
Many Oppose Georgia Sports Gambling
There are a lot of lawmakers working against bringing the sports betting wave to Georgia residents. These include anti-gambling groups and politicians who view sports betting as detrimental to young Georgians.
In every market that aims to expand into legal sports betting, there are those opposed. However, with Georgia in particular it appears the pushback is stronger. Georgia has no form of commercial gambling outside of the state lottery. There are no local casinos and it is also illegal to bet on horse racing.
Allowing online Georgia sports betting would be officially kickstarting commercial gambling in a state that is anti-gambling in totality. This is an uphill battle for those in support of online sportsbooks.
