Legal Georgia sports betting dies on general assembly floor

After a tumultuous week filled with late-night discussions, hopes for legal sports betting in Georgia came to an abrupt halt late Thursday night (March 6) as the House failed to take any action.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns officially concluded the legislative session to applause, just shy of the 11:59 PM local deadline on crossover day. A comprehensive package of sports betting bills—consisting of a constitutional amendment and an accompanying framework bill—was notably absent from the list of measures called for a vote on that day.

In an earlier meeting, a Senate committee had deferred its consideration of sports betting legislation, effectively dooming the proposal for the 2025 session due to the lack of inter-chamber progression.

Nearly seven years after the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which granted states the authority to legalize sports betting, 39 U.S. states have embraced this lucrative industry. Notably, more states are eyeing legalization in 2024.

Recent developments include Hawaii’s House passing a digital-only sports betting bill on March 4. On the same day, lawmakers in Mississippi, which has offered retail sports betting since 2018, passed legislation to expand into online wagering. However, both states face potential legislative gridlock in their respective senates.

Additionally, a Senate committee in Minnesota did not advance two key sports betting bills earlier this February. Before legislative sessions commenced, stakeholders had identified Minnesota and Georgia as frontrunners in the movement toward legalization. Sports betting proposals remain active in states like Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, while Alabama lawmakers express optimism about prospects for gambling expansion, despite no formal proposals thus far.

Critical Bills Require Passage for Legalization

Georgia’s proposed framework bill, HB 686, was prepared for a potential floor vote during the rules committee’s third meeting on Thursday, complemented by HR 450, which garnered committee approval in the fourth session. Both bills were among numerous others being rushed to the floor to meet the impending deadline.

Ultimately, neither wagering measure was called for a vote during the evening floor session, and both would have needed to pass for the initiative to move forward to the electorate. Filed just a week prior, the proposals struggled against the clock.

An amended version of the framework bill had cleared the higher education committee on Wednesday, with the group opting to raise the proposed tax rate from 20% to 24%. Interestingly, an amendment that would have permitted online gaming was rejected during deliberations.

This legislative package aimed to legalize only digital sports betting in Georgia. HR 450 sought to place a referendum on the November 2026 ballot, enabling voters to decide the fate of this new form of gambling. Meanwhile, HB 686 intended to establish a competitive marketplace under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Lottery Corporation.

The framework identified Georgia’s professional sports teams, the Augusta National Golf Club, Atlanta Speedway, and the PGA Tour as qualifying entities for licensing. Moreover, up to seven standalone licenses were to be made available, with the lottery prepared to launch a digital betting platform.

Tax Revenue Designated for Education

Efforts to advance sports betting legislation in Georgia have faced considerable challenges over the years, with tensions dating back to 2021. During that session, Democratic members withheld support for a legal betting bill in response to a Republican-led redistricting initiative.

Since that time, a coherent vision for legal sports betting in the state has been elusive, with substantial debate surrounding the necessity of a constitutional amendment and the destination of generated tax revenues.

All proposals submitted in the 2025 session—including the package derailed by the Senate committee—involved a constitutional amendment. Throughout the legislative process, advocates for responsible gambling expressed their concerns, and there remained a lack of consensus among lawmakers regarding the introduction of gambling into Georgia.

Nonetheless, the legislature appears to favor allocating any future gambling tax revenue towards educational initiatives. Specifically, HB 686 aimed to fund universal Pre-K programs and the HOPE scholarship initiative. With the current session concluding, these educational benefits will now have to await another legislative cycle.

Had it moved forward, Georgia would have ranked as the fifth-largest sports betting market in the U.S. by population, highlighting the significant implications of this legislative effort.