Georgia won’t see legal sports betting in 2022
Sports betting legislation has failed to pass Georgia’s Senate before the end of the legislative session.
US.- The Georgia state senate’s 2022 legislative session has ended with no agreement among lawmakers on sports betting legislation. Georgia will have to wait until the next legislative session for legal sports betting despite the Georgia state House passing a re-introduced bill on Monday (April 4) that would amend Georgia’s State Constitution to allow the activity.
A pair of bills seeking to put the legalisation of betting to voters in November were greenlighted by the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee last week. The committee voted in favour of an amended version of Senate Resolution 135, as well as Senate Bill 142, which would legalise sports betting on college and pro sports.
The legislation, sponsored by Senator Jeff Mullis, Senator Bill Cowsert and Representative Rob Stephens, included the creation of a gaming commission by the General Assembly, which would regulate and stipulate taxation for sports betting in the state.
Half of proceeds from casinos and horse race betting would go for health care programmes. Of the remainder, 20 per cent would go to economic development in economically distressed parts of the state, 15 per cent to prekindergarten subsidies and 15 per cent to college tuition for people making below the median income.
The state Senate passed a constitutional amendment last March calling for a statewide referendum on the legalisation of sports betting. While Senate Resolution 135 failed to reach the floor of the Georgia House of Representatives, it marked the first time a gambling bill had made it through either legislative chamber.
