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Georgia Stakeholders: 2022 Could Be the Year of Regulated Sports Betting
By Jeff Osienya Feb 11, 2022 LegalityGeorgia politicians and lobbyists are hopeful that the state is ready to okay sports betting in 2022. Lawmakers plan to include voters in the decision-making process as legislative sessions alone have failed to cross the finish line in the past.Sports betting could be legalized in the State of Georgia in 2022, at least according to gaming industry stakeholders and lawmakers in the Peach State. In January, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston addressed news outlets in the pre-General Assembly session press conference. He suggested that instead of continuing to ‘trip over the details’ as has been the case for years, the state should ask Georgians whether they are willing to allow legalized sports gaming. If the citizens of Georgia decide to vote in favor of sports betting, they will pave the way for regulated horse racing and casino gambling.
In 2021, the Senate deliberated and approved a resolution to kickstart the constitutional amendment process to include sports betting. Unfortunately, the measure did not see the light of day once it reached the House Committee. This year, lawmakers have started expressing their intentions to once again pick up on the topic that has been a point of contention among legislators and state residents.
However, this time around, the chances for success are much higher because of a change in tactics. Georgia’s proposed sports betting bill could sail through as this time, the decision will be transferred from the hands of the Senate or the House and onto the ballot for a public vote. If passed, Georgians won’t have to cross stateliness to neighboring states or engage in in-state illegal sports betting. Thus far, Georgia allows regulated charitable raffles and the state lottery.
To Vote or Not to Vote?
There are two schools of reasoning when it comes to the idea to bring the bill to a public vote. First, opposers of the bill have voiced concerns about gambling addiction. One critic that has been at the frontlines in fighting the regulation of sports betting in the Peach state is the Public Affairs Representative at Georgia Mission Board, Mike Griffin. He indicated that the fight had just gotten much more intense and that the proposal for a vote of the people was not the right one. In an interview with the ABC-affiliated WJCL Rep, Mike Griffin said:
Quote“Studies have shown, for example, from Stock Predatory Gambling, a national organization, that for every dollar we spend to promote not gambling, they’ll spend $250. I’m just saying it will not be a fair fight. I was just in a webinar a couple days ago, and there’s some data from a study called Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and in it, it puts the addiction to sports betting and casino gambling in the same category as heroin, opioids, tobacco alcohol, and cocaine. I think an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure.”
On the other hand, the proponents have defended the proposal, arguing that the activity would benefit the Peach State by bringing in more revenue for state coffers. True to that argument, the many states with live sports betting markets are collecting millions of dollars that are channeled to different projects.
State Representative and Chair of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee Ron Stephens has been leading the efforts of the bill’s passage in 2022. He backed up the proposition for voting as he believes it would be better to leave it up to the voters to decide whether or not to expand gambling in the state. Rep Ron Stephens also cited in an interview with Bryan County News that it was about time for Georgia to take up sports betting, especially with the NFL becoming increasingly popular.
Moreover, according to Stephens, the Georgia State Lottery should be the one to oversee sports gambling after the bill goes through. He said:
Quote“With this being the 30th anniversary of the lottery vote creating the HOPE Scholarship, more than 2 million Georgians have lifted themselves up through higher education and technical college careers. More than 1.6 million families received Pre-k head starts. We will take up sports gaming in the days to come to close the gap with HOPE and Pre-k. Bottom line, this will be another lottery game.”
Another major figure that has been making a case for sports gambling is Georgia Sports Integrity Alliance spokesman Billy Linville who said:
Quote“I’m very optimistic. I think that the more legislators learn about sports gaming, the more likely they are to support it. It’s becoming ubiquitous in the country, and our surrounding states have adopted sports gaming, and it’s a way to capture lost revenue, but also regulate this industry to protect consumers.”
The Time for Legalizing Sports Betting is Now
After the rescindment of PASPA 1992 in May 2018, the door was now open for states to decide the fate of sports betting in their respective jurisdictions. So far, more than half of the 50 US states have legalized sports betting, and more are jumping on the bandwagon. Talks around the regulation of sports betting have specifically been on the rise in the past year as gambling revenue has skyrocketed in multiple jurisdictions over the 2021 fiscal year.
Georgia seems to be following in the footsteps of neighboring Tennessee, which launched legalized sports betting in November 2021 after passing the bill in 2019. Alabama may also be on the road to legalizing sports gambling in 2022 following multiple attempts, most recently being the 2021 legislative session. First, 50% of the Senate and the House of Representatives must approve, then after that, the decision has to be affirmed by a simple majority vote from the people. Pressure is now on the lawmakers, who have been pushing the sports betting agenda for years.
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