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The ability to legally bet on Atlanta Falcons games and other sports events in Georgia has received attention with the introduction of a bill this week backed by a powerful coalition of Republican and Democratic senators.
Butts County Republican Lt. Gov. Bert Jones and Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler on the potential legalization of sports betting to raise millions of dollars for state lottery HOPE college scholarships and preschool programs , is betting on attracting a majority of lawmakers. . Butler, a Stone Mountain Democrat, is one of five Democrats and seven Republicans proposing Senate Bill 386, which would legalize online and retail sports betting in the Peach State.
Sen. Clint Dixon’s bill would treat sports betting like a lottery to avoid a constitutional referendum that would require support from two-thirds of Congress and approval from Georgia voters in November. The bill will likely be introduced at the next Senate Economic and Tourism Development Committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Brandon Beach, one of the bill’s sponsors.
Under the bill, the state would issue 16 sports betting licenses that would be distributed to owners and operators of Georgia professional sports teams, Georgia-based auto racing tracks, and professional golf tournaments and tours. . The Georgia Lottery Company will own one license for him and issue the remaining seven licenses to him for $1 million per year. The state would impose a 15% tax on sports betting revenue.
At a press conference Wednesday, Jones supported the idea of opening Georgia to sports betting. Lobbyists for the international sports betting and gambling company, which co-owns the online sportsbook BetMGM, visited Atlanta last fall to seek support for legalizing sports betting and other types of licensed gambling in retail stores and online. He made pitches to members of Congress on how to gain support.
Critics of sports betting have long pointed out the dangers of gambling addiction that go far beyond the potential financial pitfalls. There are also questions about whether avoiding constitutional amendment will withstand legal scrutiny.
Former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton wrote an opinion last year arguing that legalizing sports betting in Georgia would not require a statewide ballot referendum if it were incorporated into the state’s lottery system. .
Mike Griffin, communications director for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, questioned why the lawmakers supporting Dixon’s bill would want to block Georgia voters from giving control of sports betting.
“If this type of gambling is so popular, why wouldn’t we want to do it through a constitutional amendment where the people have the final say?” Griffin said in an email. “I don’t believe this is legal, and I don’t think the people of Georgia intended for something like this to be legal at the time the lottery was approved.”
The push for legal sports betting gained momentum in 2020 when four Atlanta professional sports franchises formed an alliance to defend sports betting in Georgia. More than 30 states have legalized sports betting since May 2018 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1992 federal law that banned commercial sports betting in most states.
In recent years, Georgia legislators have made unsuccessful attempts to legalize sports betting, horse racing, and casinos, either in combination or as standalone proposals, on everything from the evils of gambling addiction to how revenue will be distributed. It ended in failure as members of parliament were divided on every point. , and what forms of gambling are allowed.
The fact that many people in Georgia already bet on sports illegally does not justify legalization, Griffin said.
“Anything as harmful as legalizing sports betting would be like pouring gasoline on a fire. It would make an already bad thing even worse,” he said.
The bipartisan coalition sponsoring this year’s bill is likely to block the Senate’s chances of passing another sports betting bill, which has been stalled on the Senate floor since Jan. 11. Senate Bill 172, introduced by Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, would create a gaming commission. Oversee sports betting that raises funds for scholarships, gambling addiction treatment, and other programs. Cowsert’s bill asks voters to approve a constitutional amendment.
This story was brought to you by WABE content partner Georgia Recorder.
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