Last Thursday, the Georgia senate voted overwhelmingly against bill SR 131, which would have placed legalizing sports betting and casinos on the ballot for November.
If the bill had passed and been approved by voters, it would have legalized online sports betting and casino gambling in Georgia, with a 20 percent taxation rate. The tax revenue would have been evenly divided among Georgia’s 159 counties.
Supporters of the bill also argued that Georgia could be missing out on millions in tax revenue annually. Data provided by Geocomply showed almost 14,500 active gambling accounts in Georgia during the Super Bowl weekend, a 75% year-on-year increase.
John Pappas, senior advisor at Geocomply, told Fox 5 Atlanta that these accounts were all potential sports bettors.
“We saw almost 14,500 active accounts in the State of Georgia. So these are people that could have been potential sports bettors. People who would have wanted to place a bet on a legal site, but couldn’t because they were in Georgia,” he said.
In contrast, opposers of the bill highlighted the negative impacts of gambling problems on individuals, families, and communities.
Mike Griffin, Public affairs representative with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, commented, “You think about the mental health issues that are related to it. You think about the increase in addiction. You think about how up to a third of addicted gamblers are going to consider committing suicide.”
Despite the bill not advancing, some Georgia lawmakers, including Rep. Marcus Weidower plan to bring forward the bill again in a future legislative session.