Online sports betting bills continue to flood in for the United States. We already told you about bills in Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Now, there are bills filed in Georgia and Florida. Also, the governors of Arizona and Kentucky both support legalizing sports betting.
A push by state Rep. Ron Stephens to put a referendum before Georgia voters to legalize casino gambling in a handful of mega-sites in the state died Thursday. It was the last day proposed bills. The initial version of casino gambling legislation the Georgia General Assembly will consider would exclude Columbus from the discussion. But one influential lawmaker cautions that it is early in.
Florida Bill Pre-Filed for Sports Betting
- Georgia state Rep. Ron Stephens (l.) is back with proposed gambling legislation. Resolution 30 would let voters determine if casino gaming should be allowed and House Bill 86 would legalize sports betting.
- Georgia General Assembly, is one of the largest state legislatures in the nation. The General Assembly consists of two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- The casino legislation is the second legalized gambling proposal to hit the General Assembly during the early days of the 2021 legislative session. Stephens introduced a bill earlier this month that would legalize online sports betting in Georgia.
The Florida legislative session will not begin until March, but one matter to be considered will be sports betting. State Senator Jeff Brandes filed SB 392 in late December. The bill seeks to legalize sports betting in Florida. If legalized, the Florida Lottery will regulate the activity, meaning that tax revenue would go towards education.
The bill would prohibit bets from athletes, coaches, referees, or any person working for an athletic governing body. However, it is unclear whether this bill will gain any traction. Brandes tried to get a similar bill passed in 2020, but he did not include the Seminole Tribe. Currently, the Seminoles are the only group allowed to offer Class III gambling in the state. If this bill fails to involve the Seminole Tribe, it will likely suffer a similar fate.
Georgia Files Sports Betting Bill
Georgia is another state considering online sports betting in 2021. HB 86 was filed earlier this month and has bi-partisan support in the legislature. Known as the Georgia Lottery Mobile Sports Wagering Integrity Act, the bill would legalize online sports betting. Companies will be taxed 16% of gross revenue with proceeds going to the HOPE scholarship.
Two bills have been put forward in Georgia that could pave the way for casinos and racing in the state. They join a bill on sports betting. #US#Casinos#SportsBettinghttps://t.co/BLbWf2EVJU
— Focus Gaming News (@FocusGamingNews) January 28, 2021
Four pro sports teams currently support the bill. The bill is estimated to bring somewhere around $100 million in revenue to the state. Since the bill has bipartisan support and is supported by the four major sports teams in the state, many figure that this bill is close to a slam dunk in 2021.
Arizona and Kentucky Governors Support Sports Betting
The governors of both Kentucky and Arizona have recently shown support for legalizing sports betting in their respected states. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has been proactive in his quest to legalize sports betting.
According to a report from KAWC News, Gov. Ducey has negotiated a compact with Arizona tribes to allow sports betting. Arizona tribes are the only groups allowed to offer gambling in the state at the moment.
According to Ducey, 'Our goal is to bring Arizona gaming into the 21st century. A lot has changed since the first compacts were signed, back when cell phones weren't the thing they are now. The world looks a lot different today and our proposal is intended to reflect the way people live their lives today.'
Imagine what Kentucky could pull in for college basketball if sports betting was legal. Knowing I'm clipping in people that want it, just feel the need to tag. @GovAndyBeshear@repkoenighttps://t.co/roxHciKVHL
— Marty Sumler (@mate0sal) January 26, 2021
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is a known advocate of casino gambling and sports betting. He appeared on television recently trying to advocate for sports betting.
According to Beshear, 'I believe the time was right years and years ago when virtually every state around us, all Republican states, already have it. The fact we haven't done it at this point is not only silly but puts us at a competitive disadvantage.'
This rhetoric would slap in the face of recent statements regarding PokerStars. After a $1.3 billion lawsuit was reinstated against PokerStars, Beshear stated that the money would never be enough to make up for the harm caused to KY families.
So we are supposed to believe that sports betting will not harm families but online poker will? This is a very convenient take. Based on past history, it is unlikely that a Kentucky bill will gain much traction. A measure to legalize sports betting was filed in 2020 but failed to advance out of committee. Unless something drastically changes this year, we can expect the same for any new legislation involving sports betting in Kentucky.
- Ron Stephens, R-Savannah filed House Resolution 30 would give Georgia residents the power to vote on whether casinos will be allowed in the state.
- Georgia lawmakers have currently proposed bills legalizing sports betting, casinos, and Horse racing.
- Sen. Brandon Beach proposed SB 30 which would create a Georgia Horse Racing Commission that would regulate legal pari-mutuel horse racing in the state.
ATLANTA – New ways to gamble could be on the horizon in Georgia as both the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate have proposed bills that would bring casinos and racetracks to the Peach State.
This isn't the first-time either legislative chamber has pushed some forms of legal gambling in Georgia this year as Ron Stephens, R-Savannah has already proposed HB 86 in mid-January would legalize online/mobile sports betting.
Sports betting does have an easier path to legalization in Georgia than horse racing or casinos because it doesn't require a constitutional amendment.
House Resolution 30 Would Allow Casinos In Georgia
Stephens, R-Savannah has been busy during the legislative sessions as he also introduced House Resolution 30 to legislation in a move that would give Georgia voters a say in whether casinos should be allowed to operate in the state on the upcoming ballot.
The bill also featured bipartisan support as four of the five co-authors of the bill are in the Democratic Party.
Co-Authors of HR 30
- (R-32) Alan Powell
- (D-135) Calvin Smyre
- (D-168) Al Williams
- (D-57) Stacey Evans
- (D-88) Billy Mitchell
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61891157/GettyImages_471772748.0.jpg "Ga casino bill pass")
House Resolution 30 Would Allow Casinos In Georgia
Stephens, R-Savannah has been busy during the legislative sessions as he also introduced House Resolution 30 to legislation in a move that would give Georgia voters a say in whether casinos should be allowed to operate in the state on the upcoming ballot.
The bill also featured bipartisan support as four of the five co-authors of the bill are in the Democratic Party.
Co-Authors of HR 30
- (R-32) Alan Powell
- (D-135) Calvin Smyre
- (D-168) Al Williams
- (D-57) Stacey Evans
- (D-88) Billy Mitchell
Ga Casino Bill 2021
HR 30 would be Georgia's first step in allowing casinos to operate in the state and would help the Peach State government make up for any revenue lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Only destination resort facilities in Georgia are going to be able to receive licenses under the current resolution but casinos would be brought to Georgia.
However, this legislation can't just pass the Senate and House to be made law, it must be approved by citizens of Georgia with a majority vote in the election.
SB 30 and Horse Racing In Georgia
Sen. Brandon Beach proposed SB 30 which would create the Georgia Horse Racing Commission and allow for the state to award limited licenses for racetracks.
This bill is named with the Rural Georgia Jobs Growth Act that was proposed by Beach in the 2019-2020 legislative session. This bill is bipartisan too, with Democratic Senator Ed Harbison co-sponsoring this bill.
SB 30 would allow a full range of horse betting in Georgia while also making the state some money as the price tag for the 10-year licenses is listed at $50 million with renewals costing $250 million. What could cause a bit of a stumbling block for SB 30 is that if any of the racetracks are within 50 miles of an airport, they must invest $250 million per facility and if outside of those 50 miles the initial investment drops to $125 million.
Those high prices will certainly limit the companies that are looking to buy in but for SB 30 to become law it would also have to pass with a majority vote by Georgia residents.
Ga Casino Bill Pass
For Georgia residents, patience is probably the approach to take with this legislation as sooner rather than later the Peach State will have to cave to the demands of legalizing gambling.
