Posted on: March 8, 2026, 01:10h.
Last updated on: March 8, 2026, 01:10h.
- Sports betting in Georgia has been rejected once again
- Georgia is among only 10 states without legal sports gambling
Georgia will remain clear of legal sports betting for at least another year after state lawmakers in Atlanta refused to get behind a measure to allow the people of the Peach State to determine the fate of the gaming proposal.
For a second legislative year in a row, House Resolution 450 was shelved by the Georgia General Assembly. On Friday, the House of Representatives voted 63-98 on HB450, far fewer than the 120 “yea” votes the measure needed to pass.
Legislatively-referred ballot questions seeking to amend the Georgia Constitution require two-third majority support in both the Georgia House and Senate. Friday was crossover day, the deadline for legislation to pass from one chamber to the other.
People’s Voice Quite
HR450 would not have authorized sports gambling in Georgia, but simply would have allowed the people to decide if such gambling should be authorized. Georgia is among the most restricted gaming states, with no forms of legal commercial or tribal gaming aside from the state-run lottery.
HR450 proposed the following ballot language:
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize sports betting in this state to provide additional funding for pre-kindergarten and HOPE scholarships?”
The referendum sought to use the bulk of the state’s sports betting tax money to fund public and higher education, as does the Georgia Lottery. Since the inception of the Georgia Lottery in 1993, more than 2.25 million students have received HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarships.
Benefits and Risks
Some form of sports betting is legal in 39 states and Washington, DC. Georgia, of course, isn’t one of them.
Centered in the Bible Belt, two of Georgia’s neighbors are also outliers in maintaining bans on sports gambling in South Carolina and Alabama. Proponents say legalizing sports betting would provide consumer protections for Georgians currently betting on offshore online sportsbooks and through local bookies.
Rep. Kasey Carpenter, an admitted sports gambling addict, said regulated sportsbooks wouldn’t be allowed to extend credit to keep a loser hooked. That would help a bettor’s losses in check, he said.
You got $100, you can bet $100. The bookie, he gives you until Monday, so you lose $100, then you turn it to $200, then you turn it to $400. The next thing you know, you’re down $1,200. This eliminates that. Legalizing sports betting eliminates the chase,” Carpenter said on the House floor, as reported by the Georgia Reporter.
Critics countered that sports betting generates little state tax revenue and pointed to the fact that some states have expressed regret in allowing online sports betting. They cited increased gambling problem rates, especially among younger men, and that normalizing an activity increases engagement.
Georgia is a sports-obsessed state with the NFL Falcons, MLB Braves, NBA Hawks, WNBA Dream, MLS United, University of Georgia, and Georgia Tech. Georgia is also home annually to The Masters at Augusta National, the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and its capital city regularly hosts major events like the Super Bowl and NCAA March Madness. Atlanta is also a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city.
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