The sports betting bills advocates have fought for have died a quiet death in Georgia’s legislative chambers, ending any hope that the Peach State would launch its mobile sports betting market this year.
Time’s Up
The last time we reported on the state of Georgia’s sports betting bills, the Senate legislation failed to make it out of committee. That doomed any chance of a sports betting bill getting through the upper chamber, which meant all eyes turned toward the House, where two similar bills were under consideration but needed to cross over to the Senate by Thursday, March 6th, for discussion in the upper chamber.
Unfortunately for those hoping to see mobile sports betting come to the Peach State, neither House Resolution 450 nor House Bill 686 made the cut, and Crossover Day came and went. The Georgia General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on April 4th, which means all is lost unless the measures are revived in the last month of the session.
Disappointment from Lawmakers
“It came in late, and I guess people just weren’t there yet,” said House Higher Education Committee Chairman Chuck Martin, an Alpharetta Republican, referring to a bill and constitutional amendment introduced just last week.
“We’ll keep working with people and trying to do what’s in the best interest of the state,” Martin said, saying a referendum was still possible on the November 2026 ballot.
State Representative and sponsor of one of the House sports betting bills, Marcus Wiedower, issued the following statement: “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.”
Lingering Ill Will
Last year, the Georgia Senate was the impetus for sports betting bills, but the House was not receptive. That lack of cooperation was not forgotten, and whether the upper chamber would have returned the favor is anybody’s guess, seeing as neither House bill made it to Crossover Day.
“I don’t know if I’m willing to fall on the sword again,” Democratic Senator David Lucas said during a committee meeting. “The House has not done anything, and we have constantly tried to work it out in various ways on this, and they’ve never taken it up.”
Brandt Iden, vice president of government affairs for Fanatics, spoke on the House’s lack of cooperation after last year’s legislative session saw a sports betting bill advance from the Senate floor before it died in the lower chamber. “What happened in Georgia was incredibly frustrating and disappointing,” said Iden. “When legislative members in leadership positions make assurances, you expect them to be negotiating in good faith and willing to hold up to their commitments.
“Representative [Marcus] Wiedower delivered to leadership and his caucus everything that was expected of him with this legislation. Yet, when the time came for leadership to hold to their deal, the goalposts weren’t just moved; they removed the entire end zone from the field. Those kinds of hijinks are for schoolchildren on a playground, not serious leaders,” Iden added.
