The landscape of online gambling in the United States is rapidly evolving, with a growing number of states choosing to legalize and regulate activities like online casino gaming and sports betting. This trend reflects a shift in public opinion and a desire to tap into a potentially lucrative revenue stream.
However, this wave of legalization has not swept across every state. Jurisdictions like Georgia, for instance, remain steadfast in their opposition to online gambling, choosing to maintain their existing restrictions and prohibitions.
Georgia is one of the very few US states without a brick-and-mortar casino, sports betting of any kind, pari-mutuel wagering, and talk less of online casinos. Interestingly though, some stakeholders believe recent electoral events might just change the tide for the Peach State.
Back in May this year, Marcus Wiedower, a Republican representative won his party’s District 121 primary elections by a wide 83% margin despite his vocal support for online gambling related bills.
The legislator hopes that his colleagues who are refraining from throwing their weights behind a sports betting or casino measure because of hyper-conservative electorates will have a rethink.
As previously indicated, there has never been a single piece of legislation permitting land-based or online gambling activity in Georgia at any point in the state’s history. However, in the past five years, there had been multiple attempts to introduce some form of wagering measure.
The most recent attempt by the state’s lawmakers came in January 2024 when Senator Clint Dixon introduced SB 386 to implement sports betting. In what was a surprising development, the bill was backed by 11 other bipartisan sponsors and went past the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee just a day after its introduction.
Despite gaining Senate approval, the bill was thrown into limbo in the House of Representatives due to a constitutional amendment clause that formed a part of the measure. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass by the end of the 2024 legislative session in March.
A lottery does exist in Georgia, though. This state’s lottery was the result of a hard-fought gaming expansion amendment that saw voters support its establishment in 1992. During the 2023 Fiscal Year, it was reported that the Georgia Lottery transferred over $1.5 billion to state education.
Social or sweepstakes casinos are also available in the state, but, of course, these never translate to any real money winnings. But all of this is not to say that there isn’t any gambling activity done at all within state borders.
In addition to sweepstakes sites, offshore casino platforms are taking advantage of the absence of state-licensed gambling activity to offer their services to the teeming population. These online casino sites have all the perks of regular platforms, including varied game selection, attractive welcome bonus and secure payment methods. Some of the popular options include Pulsz, High 5 Casino, and renowned sweepstakes casino WOW Vegas.
The Republican lawmaker has frequently told reporters that he is not asking his colleagues to vote yes or no on a gambling measure. Instead, he is pushing that legislators allow the people to decide whether they want to bet on sports or play real money games at casinos.
Although many faith-based organizations threaten that their members will not vote for lawmakers supporting gambling measures, no Republican legislator has lost their seat on account of advancing such bills. As a result, Wiedower hopes more incumbent legislators can rally round gambling proposals and ultimately push for a constitutional amendment.
In fact, the signs are already promising. Seven lawmakers from Georgia attended the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) conference in Pittsburgh back in July. This number was more than any other states, including those that had legalized gambling. Rep. Al Williams, secretary of the NCLGS was joined by Senator Coswert, both of whom had attended the conference multiple times in the past.
But while Wiedower nurses hope Georgia will soon become a gambling state, he is more optimistic about the prospects of sports betting. However, the big question remains how quickly the developments will come.
There’s also little to no encouragement from Georgia’s neighbors. Most gambling activity is illegal in Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Tennessee and Florida are the only states where sports betting is permitted for eligible players.
Independent analysts think sweepstakes and offshore casinos will remain popular in Georgia for at least the next half a decade. Nonetheless, a breakthrough with sports betting before 2026 could see iGaming enter the state much faster than anyone anticipates. Pending that, interested players can try their luck with the lottery, social casinos or selected international sites.
