Georgia sports betting plan brought back to life in Senate

Georgia state house representatives meet on Feb. 23, 2023. A Georgia Senate committee has revived a proposal to legalize sports betting, although its prospects of becoming law remain uncertain. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

A proposal to legalize online sports betting was revived by a Georgia Senate committee on Thursday, although its prospects of becoming law remain uncertain.

The Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee amended House Bill 237 to include the legalization of online betting by early 2024 at the latest, and do so without asking voters to amend the state constitution.

The move to piggyback sports betting on an earlier bill comes late in the session, after legalization proposals in both the House and Senate failed to pass before the deadline to advance to the opposite chamber. The newly amended bill next goes to the Senate for its consideration. If senators approve it, the House would then have to agree to the plan.