Georgia lawmakers roll the dice on legal sports gambling again

One of the best things that’s happening in sports gambling right now is that more and more places around the world are starting to legalize gaming, sports betting and mobile gambling completely. What was once an industry that faced stigma and a lack of legal support has now blossomed into an innovative, widely accepted sector of the world.

If you’re interested in gambling at all, you’re bound to have noticed the wide debates surrounding the movement to fully legalize sports gambling. This is still a hot topic in America, with the latest point of discussion being the state of Georgia. This is a state that has tried to legalize sports betting before, and has failed- so it’s a fascinating story to follow.

In this blog post, we’ll be taking a look at Georgia’s interaction with the sports betting world, and examining where this state could go this year in regards to legalization.

 

What has previously happened with legalization in Georgia?

As reported in this helpful article, the move to push sports betting legalization through in Georgia almost happened once before. The two key pieces of legislation were House Resolution 378 (looking at legalizing betting, gambling and bingo) and Senate Bill 403 (looking at legalizing sports betting in particular).

Unfortunately, the movement for these two pieces of legislation was not secured in time for the proposed deadline of March 12th. This is why it is still a hot topic, and why we are still looking at the total legalization of this in 2020.

 

What’s happening with sports gambling legalization in Georgia right now?

There has been more progress made than ever before in regards to sports betting being legalized in Georgia. Sports betting fans in the state will be pleased to see how much traction this topic has been gaining, and how many people within the state are starting to look at the legalization movement in a serious nature.

On Friday 19th June, the Senate Special Judiciary Committee amended the House Bill 903, in order to allow platforms like Draftkings and Fanduel to be offered in Georgia. These platforms, as we’re sure you know, are dedicated to providing sports betting and online sports gambling, so it’s great to see them being considered.

The way that the bill has been amended is with the inclusion of sports betting categories under the umbrella term of ‘state lottery’. The state constitution had already been amended to involve the state lottery, so it made sense to include sports betting under this.

It’s brilliant to see so much traction in this area of law, although the next step is absolutely vital to consider. The House Bill is now being passed to the state Senate, in order to get voted on fully. It is not certain how this will end up going, and we’re sure that the resulting stories and developments will be fascinating to observe.

 

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What are the benefits of legalized sports gambling?

It’s worth noting that there are a lot of benefits that come along with legalized sports betting. As we covered here, many other states and places around the world are choosing to legalize it- often to resoundingly positive results.

 

Some of the main benefits that legalized sports gambling can bring include;

  • More job creation and assistance for people looking to progress in their careers.
  • An increase in tax revenue for the state and a boost to the economy.
  • A positive, knock-on effect to local businesses like cafes or liquor stores.
  • More innovation within the gambling community itself.
  • Limited opportunities for malicious practices.
  • More protections in place for gamblers and gamers.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive. It will greatly vary depending on how a state chooses to implement gambling, and what protective, legal measures are introduced alongside it.

 

Summary

It’ll be fascinating to see where sports betting legalization goes in Georgia, and it’s certainly a story that we’re going to be following in more depth. The benefits of legal, safe gambling are simply incredible, and we’re sure that Georgia would enjoy having them in place. We will be following this story as we head further into 2020.

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