An effort to legalize sports betting in Georgia (Senate Bill 386 and Senate Resolution 579) remains stagnant in the state’s House of Representatives. With just three days left in the state’s legislative session — the session ends Thursday — time is running out to the legislative effort.
The state’s House Higher Education Committee met Monday, and the sports betting bill was discussed, but there wasn’t a vote on the bill.
A few changes to the bill were made, including raising the tax rate from 20% to 25%. Tax revenue distributions were tweaked, with unspecified amounts set to benefit the state’s HOPE Scholarship fund, pre-K education, capital improvements, and teacher training.
The bill would not legalize 16 betting apps to Georgia. Wagering on both college and professional sports would be allowed.
Next steps z45i
The House Higher Education Committee expects to meet again on Wednesday afternoon, at which point there could be a vote on the bill. It would then also need to through the House at some point prior to the end of the session.
That’s a tall task for a topic that has historically been opposed by the House. The Senate has approved sports betting efforts in previous sessions, and earlier this session gave the go-ahead to SB 386 and SR 579, but the Georgia House has never ed a sports betting bill.
Time is running out for Georgia to legalize sports betting, and the lack of progress with just days left in the legislative session is not a good sign for sports betting ers.
If the bill makes it through the House, it’ll still need voter approval in November.
