Sports betting legislation in Georgia remains stalled in 2025, with proposed bills failing to advance once again.
Another year, another defeat for gambling expansion in Georgia
It's 2025, and Georgia still hasn't legalized sports betting. Two months into the year, and another bill bites the dust. On March 6, better known as "Crossover Day," the key deadline for bills to pass in either the state Senate or House, both bills aimed at legalizing sports betting fell short.
Known as HB 686 and HR 450, these bills would have opened up the door to regulate and tax sports betting in Georgia. Public support for legalizing sports betting seems to be there, but it wasn't enough this time around.
"People just weren't there yet," said House Higher Education Committee Chairman Chuck Martin, summing up the situation.
HB 686 would have granted up to 16 "Type 1" sports betting licenses to professional sports teams, golf courses, race tracks, the Georgia Lottery, and online operators. These licenses would have come with a hefty price tag: a $100,000 application fee and a $1 million annual licensing fee. Operators would also need to fork over 24% of their adjusted gross income in taxes.
The revenue generated from sports betting would have gone towards the same causes as the state lottery money, mainly funding the HOPE Scholarship and public pre-K programs.
Despite the potential benefits, timing issues, Senate hesitation, and legislative complexities seem to have done HB 686 in. The legislative session closed on April 4, and the House was left with only one day to push the bill through both chambers. The Senate, which has shown resistance towards gambling bills in the past, ultimately refused to approve the bill in time.
HR 450, a constitutional amendment resolution meant to put the sports betting question on the ballot for Georgia voters, also faltered. Without a green light from the legislature, HR 450 couldn't move forward. Georgia remains without legal sports betting options as of mid-2025, with hopes now pinned on future legislative sessions and the 2026 public referendum.
So, what went wrong with HB 686? It seems that the bills were introduced too late, leaving little time to navigate both chambers and meet deadlines. The Senate's hesitation or outright opposition also played a role. Add in the legislative complexities of HB 686's provisions, such as restricting sportsbook operators to partnering with only one licensee, increasing the tax rate, and implementing measures like two-factor authentication for betting accounts and prohibiting college prop bets, and it's easy to see why the bill faced so many challenges.
As for the future of sports betting in Georgia, the path forward is unclear. Gambling advocates will need to convince the Senate to overcome its resistance and work with the House to pass legislation that can ultimately go before Georgia voters in 2026. Until then, sports betting enthusiasts in Georgia will have to stick with illegal or offshore options.
In light of the Georgia legislative session closing, sports betting remains illegal, and enthusiasts continue to explore illegal or offshore options due to the failed legislative attempts, such as HB 686. Even though this bill aimed to regulate sports-betting by granting licenses to certain entities and imposing taxes, the Senate's hesitation and complex provisions resulted in its failure.
