Georgia Sports Betting Legislative Setback: Time is Short
Georgia Legislative Session Ends March 28
The Georgia Legislature is still discussing sports betting in the Peach State, but time is running out. The legislative session is set to end March 28. The Higher Education Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives took up the matter on Monday and it was more of the same.
There are two proposals the Georgia House is looking into. The first is Senate Bill 386, which legalized sports betting in the state through a constitutional amendment. Senate Resolution 579 is the constitutional amendment, so the two basically work hand-in-hand.
They do need to pass the House with a two-thirds majority. The latest Georgia sports betting legislative setback is related to time. There are other matters the Georgia Legislature has to deal with in the final days of the session.
The vote in the House is expected to be close, so certain legislators are holding out for something they want. The resolution currently has 80% of the tax proceeds going to education, 15% to problem gambling and 5% slated for a sports promotions in the state.
Rep. Chuck Martin, the chairman of the higher education committee, doesn’t want the 5% for sports promotions. He wants more money allocated to problem gambling. Others want the tax revenue to be used for free school breakfasts and lunches.
Rural health care has also been mentioned. So the measures are likely headed for amendments, which will take up more time. Sen. Bill Cowsert, one of the major sponsors, is agreeable to allocating the funds differently. He just wants to see something passed. The committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon.
‘Let the Voters Decide’
Sen. Cowsert isn’t a big fan of sports betting, but knows it’s already taking place in Georgia. He wants to see it taxed and regulated. Cowsert also wants to give the state’s voters the right to weigh in on the topic.
“I think when you have this major of a policy shift, the public ought to be allowed to buy in to vote on it,” Cowsert said in Monday’s hearing.
The sports betting measures allow for up to 16 sports betting apps from different sportsbooks. That ensures all of the larger sports betting sites get into the state. Bettors in the state would then have plenty of different scores and odds to follow from different betting outlets.
If the bills don’t get in the needed support in the House it wouldn’t be the first Georgia sports betting legislative setback. The Georgia Senate passed a bill last year that didn’t make it out of the House. Cowsert is hopeful his “let the voters decide” philosophy will help turn the tide this year.
If the bills do make it out of the Legislature and before the voters in November, it currently reads, “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by law for sports betting in this state and to provide for such proceeds to be used for educational funding for pre-kindergarten and HOPE scholarships, services for gambling addiction, and the advancement and promotion of sports in this state?”
The final constitutional amendment question that appears on the ballot could look slightly different depending on amendments to the bills. There is likely no way to get the bills passed without amendments, however, in order for the state not to have another Georgia sports betting legislative setback.
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