State Senate Says “No” to Legalized Sports Betting

The state Senate has soundly rejected legislation to legalize sports betting in Georgia.

Senate Bill 57 was defeated 37-19 last Thursday as senators opposed to gambling joined forces with those who believe legalizing sports betting requires a constitutional amendment.

The bill’s supporters argued it would not require a constitutional change because it would not legalize either casinos or pari-mutuel betting, the only forms of gambling expressly prohibited by Georgia’s Constitution.

Instead, the bill defines sports betting as a lottery game, which Georgia voters authorized when they ratified a constitutional amendment in 1992 creating the Georgia Lottery.

Sports betting legislation that does require a constitutional change is also pending in the state Senate.

But since it would be limited to online betting, the other Senate measure wouldn’t have a significant economic impact, said Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, Senate Bill 57’s chief sponsor.

Hickman said SB 57 would create jobs but only allowing online betting would not.

But Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, argued the revenue sports betting would bring in wouldn’t be worth the societal toll of expanding legalized gambling in Georgia.

Harbin said that much like drugs and alcohol, [gambling] leads to addiction and called gambling “financial foolishness because the house always wins.

With the defeat of Hickman’s bill, the proposed constitutional amendment is the only sports betting option still alive in the Senate.

The legislation cleared the Senate Regulated Industries Committee last week, but time is running out on the measure. It has yet to be scheduled for a floor vote.

The deadline for the bill to pass in at least one legislative chamber was yesterday, known as Crossover Day.

From Capitol Beat News Service