A Georgia sports betting bill made its way out of the state Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 386 passed by a considerable margin.
However, it did so with an amendment attached. Rather than a legislative legalization, SB 386 will now require the public to approve sports betting with a vote on a constitutional amendment.
What happened on Thursday?
The Georgia Senate conducted a lengthy discussion of SB 386. The bill was sponsored by Republicans and Democrats alike and was proposed a year after the Georgia legislature considered a number of sports betting bills that ultimately failed.
Sen. Bill Cowsert, however, attached an amendment to the bill requiring a vote authorizing changes to the state’s constitution. This is in line with a stance he took a year ago as the chambers considered the matter.
“It’s sneaky to try and circumvent the voters of the state of Georgia,” Cowsert said Thursday. “I don’t understand why we would want to do that.”
The majority of Cowsert’s colleagues agreed with his assessment. The amendment passed in a 35-15 vote. A second amendment proposed by Sen. John Albers would have blocked license holders in the state from receiving online sports betting revenue. That failed by a 39-10 margin.
What’s next for SB 386?
The Georgia sports betting bill now heads to the state’s House of Representatives. If the House passes the bill as is, Peach State voters will have a chance to vote the industry into law this November.
If the bill passes the house, and a constitutional amendment is approved by the public, Georgia sports betting would not be live right away. It would almost certainly take until the middle of 2025, at the earliest, for the country’s best sportsbooks to show up. A logical target would be the start of the 2025 NFL and college football seasons.
There may be a sense of urgency in the House this year that didn’t exist nearly 12 months ago. Florida sports betting has returned, giving those near Georgia’s southern border a chance to send tax revenue to a neighboring state. Another neighbor, Alabama, will see its leaders consider sports betting during the upcoming legislative session.
