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Georgia House of Representatives Sends Sports Betting Legislation Back to House Rules Committee
Published:
Two pieces of sports betting legislation, Senate Resolution 135 and Senate Bill 142, have been recommitted to the House Rules Committee by the Georgia House of Representatives.
Both pieces of legislation were on the calendar for a possible vote today. News anchor Rahul Bali reported the decision:
UPDATE on online sports betting legislation in Georgia
Both pieces of legislation dealing with online sports betting in Georgia have been sent back to the House Rules Committee. They were on the State House calendar for a possible vote today. #gapol #GPBLawmakers @gpbnews https://t.co/pIMOBQNFKN
— Rahul Bali (@rahulbali) March 25, 2021
The Key Georgia Sports Betting Bills
Senate Resolution 135, a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to provide for sports betting in the state, was passed by the Georgia Senate in a 41-10 bipartisan vote earlier this month.
The amendment outlines where money from sports betting will be appropriated, with at least 50% of the proceeds marked for need-based scholarships, grants or loans to citizens attending University Systems of Georgia, branches of the Technical College System of Georgia or eligible private colleges and universities, according to the resolution.
Senate Bill 142, a bill amending chapter 27 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, would allow for Georgia online sports betting to be regulated by the Georgia Lottery Corporation. It was passed by the Georgia Senate 34-17 earlier this month.
The Future of Georgia Sports Betting
This new doesn’t exactly paint a positive short term picture about Georgia getting sports betting operations off the ground in the near future.
Still, enough time remains for lawmakers to sort through outstanding issues in an effort to get this passed in the house by next week’s deadline. In theory, there should be enough time, but it will come down to a cohesive effort spurred by urgency.
If the bills don’t pass, it could multiple years before betting officially launches.
The Georgia legislative session concludes at the end of March. Stay tuned.
Robert is an expert on sports betting in the United States, specifically the legalization process and regulation surrounding the industry.
