Lawmakers In Georgia Expected To Advance Sports Betting Bill In Early 2021

According to new reporting from Capital Beat News, Georgia will be putting its hat in the sports betting ring. Lawmakers in the state are expected to begin lobbying for sports betting ahead of the legislative session starting on Jan. 11, 2021.
Since the historic Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that overturned a national ban on sports betting, professional sports teams in the state have supported legal sports betting. Several town hall meetings have been conducted in the state over the last few years.
Data indicates that the majority of Georgia voters are in favor of sports betting becoming legal in the state. There have also been several meetings in the state and house chambers in 2019 and a condensed legislative session in 2020.
New reporting indicates that there will be several bills filed by lawmakers ahead of the start of the new legislative session, with sports betting being on top of the pile.
Sports Betting Expected To Be Legalized In 2021
Lawmakers in Georgia have been discussing expanding gaming in the state for more than 10 years. With the 2018 ruling, more than two dozen states have legalized sports betting.
The industry has exploded throughout the country, with unprecedented money being doled out. Many states are experiencing severe budget shortfalls due to COVID-19 shutdowns.
Many lawmakers across the country who were previously sitting on the proverbial fence when it came to sports betting are starting to climb down that fence after the ravages of COVID-19.
Republican Georgia Rep. Ron Stephens has been a very staunch supporter of legalizing sports betting in the state. Stephens, in office for more than 20 years, thinks that out of all the projected bills of 2021, sports betting will be among the quickest to be dealt with.
Stephens is the Chairman of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee. Of sports betting, Stephens said, “It’s the easiest one to pass. It clearly does not require a constitutional amendment. It’s just a matter of giving the Georgia Lottery Commission direction and authority they already have.”
Stephens Filed A Sports Betting Bill In 2020
Representative Stephens filed a sports betting bill in 2020 known as HB570. Although it generated a lot of positive buzz, it was not able to make it past committee to the next phase.
At the time, Stephens said he was very disappointed, but that the quest to get sports betting legalized would continue. That bill, which is expected to be very similar to a newly drafted bill, assigned the Georgia Lottery Commission to be in charge of sports betting.
The new bill will also legalize online sports betting and has a limit of 10 sport betting operators in the state. The new sports betting bill, also drafted by Representative Stephens, is expected to be almost identical to his prior bill.
The tax rate will be 10% of all gross sports betting revenue. Stephens and other supporters of the bill believe that the tax rate is a competitive one and will entice a healthy marketplace for the industry. The state’s major pro sports teams have conducted meetings with Georgia lawmakers in the last year to implore them to legalize sports betting.