Georgia Lawmakers Fail to Progress Sports Betting Bill for Seventh Straight Year

In what has become a familiar tale in Georgia – for the seventh consecutive year – lawmakers have once again failed to make progress in passing a bill that would lead to a vote to legalize sports betting.

All efforts to send a constitutional amendment to voters collapsed. Neither the modified legislative motion nor the necessary framework bill advanced to a vote in the state House before the deadline passed last week.

The news was a setback for the motion’s backers, which included overwhelming support from many of Atlanta’s professional sports teams and leading business consortiums. Despite their support, the proposition faced stern opposition within the state legislature.

Georgia policymakers’ apparent unwillingness to entertain the idea of legalization is in stark contrast to states such as Missouri and Michigan, which are reaping the rewards of its surging sports betting and iGaming tax revenues.

Opponents of legalization have raised fears, backed by recent data, that legalizing sports betting would open the door to increased gambling addiction rates, particularly among younger gamblers in the state.

However, the political pushback mirrors other states like Texas and Minnesota, where constitutional headwinds also curtail any progression.

Another possible factor in Georgia’s ongoing struggle to move the issue forward is as a result of a lack of consensus on how the industry should be regulated.

Here, the apparent divide stems from a debate about how resulting tax revenues were likely to be allocated, with advocates pushing hard to fund key educational programs like pre-kindergarten and HOPE scholarships.

A supporter of the cause, Republican State Rep. Marcus Wiedower said: “I believe strongly – and Georgians by wide margins agree with me – that this change will not only bring in much-needed revenue to educate our youngest learners but also provide consumer protections that don’t exist in today’s black market,”

For Georgians, the failure of its lawmakers to progress the issue toward a vote to legalize betting will now have to wait until the next legislative session in 2026. Nevertheless, campaigners remain upbeat that a referendum on the topic could still make the 2026 ballot, which would present an opportunity for voters to approve the lucrative expansion of sports betting in the Peach State.