Georgia Considers Gambling Amendments and In-Person Wagering

The southern state of Georgia is the newest one jumping on a frenetic bandwagon of states rushing towards sports betting market liberalization.

State lawmakers are considering a resolution that would alter the laws that have so far prohibited in-person sports wagering (which was the official stance across the entire nation, before US Supreme Court overturned the ban last year ).

Under new resolution, betting would only be legally conducted at gambling facilities that have necessary licenses.

In-Person Only, No Mobile

Georgia initiative comes after a very busy month of similar or identical action in the states of North Carolina.

The new proposition, House Resolution 380, would be ed on to the Georgia General Assembly…

…which would then move on towards creating a legal framework for gambling venues to apply for a sports betting license. In Resolution’s language, there is no mention of online or mobile sports wagering – for the time being, until the amendment is made, sports betting would only be in-person in type.

Collected Taxes to be Used in Education

Interestingly, House Resolution extends only to sports betting which is still seen as the only viable form of gambling in a traditionally conservative state – all other forms of gambling will remain forbidden!

Resolution does not specify the cost of licenses nor tax rates, other than the fact that there will be certain taxation of gross gaming revenue.

What IS known, however…

…is that these taxes generated from regulated sports betting will be used up on various social causes and a portion of that will be sent to educational programmes.

Authorities’ Move

It is now Georgia’s House Committee on Regulated Industries turn to further consider this resolution, having been ed to them from the House’s first and second hearing last week.

In North Carolina, Jim Davis’ Senate Bill 154 – if ed – will be authorizing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to operate sports betting in their two gambling properties – Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel.

Elsewhere, in Arizona, the proposed measure, Senate Bill 1163, has hit a snag…

…in it that, even though it was devised to bring benefit to Indian tribes who would be the sole operators of sports betting, just like in North Carolina, it was exactly these tribes – except Navajo Nation – who rebelled against the Bill for reasons that are not quite clear.

One of the tribe’s statements read that “even though tribes legal sports betting in Arizona, Senate Bill 1163 is not the appropriate mechanism for such legislation.”

Source:

“Georgia eyes legalised sports betting”, igamingbusiness.com, March 4, 2019.