Georgia Lawmakers Advance Sports Betting Proposal After Years of Delays
Georgia lawmakers are pushing forward with a new proposal to legalize sports betting, an issue that has remained contentious and unresolved.
The current effort centers on House Bill 910, introduced in April 2025 by Rep. Matt Hatchett. The measure has advanced to the House Second Readers stage and now awaits review by the Higher Education Committee.
Supporters of the proposal frame legal sports wagering as a mechanism to capture out-of-state revenue, strengthen consumer protections, and generate funds for state education initiatives.
Online-Only Framework Marks New Direction in Georgia Gaming Legalization
The bill aims to define sports betting as a form of lottery gaming, which would allow legalization through statute rather than requiring a voter referendum.
Georgia’s Constitution authorizes lottery operations but generally prohibits other gambling without an explicit constitutional amendment.
HB 910 restricts sports betting to online platforms exclusively, with the Georgia Lottery serving as the regulatory body overseeing all wagering activity. The framework eliminates options for physical casinos, sportsbooks, or other brick-and-mortar gambling venues.
Private operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel could secure licenses to run betting platforms under the framework.
The Georgia Lottery is authorized to issue up to 18 Type 1 online sportsbook licenses, with applicants required to pay a $100,000 application fee and annual licensing costs of $1.5 million.
The allocation structure reserves five licenses for professional sports teams and designates individual licenses for the Georgia Lottery, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Augusta National, and the PGA Tour.
Operators would pay a 25% tax on adjusted gross gaming revenue, with net proceeds deposited into lottery-approved education funding as required by state constitutional provisions.
Georgia is among the biggest states still without legal sports betting.
Prior Attempts Failed as Legislative Stalemate Persisted
The current legislative effort builds on a series of failed attempts stretching back to the 2018 Supreme Court decision lifting the federal sports betting ban.
A Senate bill in 2024 represented the closest Georgia came to passage, advancing through the Senate with provisions identical to those in HB 910 before stalling in the House.
Rep. Marcus Wiedower’s earlier proposals included a 24% tax on wagering revenue and proposed issuing up to 16 licenses. Both failed to reach a floor vote despite House Committee approval.
Wiedower’s subsequent departure from the legislature removed a significant voice advocating for gaming expansion.
Georgia is the third-largest state by population without legal sports betting, trailing only California and Texas.
Neighboring states from Tennessee to North Carolina have established regulated sports betting markets. Georgia’s refusal to legalize sports betting became even more glaring when Missouri joined them in late 2025.
Industry observers think that this regional trend creates ongoing incentive for Georgia residents to place wagers offshore or travel across state lines for legal betting.
Rep. Matt Reeves of Gwinnett County talked about the education funding disparity:
We got the peach bowl here today with these two states who are benefiting for their kids’ education, whereas Georgia is not getting a dollar from it, even though millions of Georgians are placing bets.
Georgia House and Senate committees are expected to begin reviewing the bill soon. Floor consideration could occur as early as February 2026 if it advances through committee.
