Georgia is one of 18 states that has not legalized mobile sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.
Republican State Rep. Marcus Wiedower of Watkinsville says his new legislation amends the state constitution through a statewide voter referendum.
“Do people want to allow online sports betting only? This is not bricks and mortar, this is not kiosks, this is not horse racing [or] casinos. This is online sports betting only,” Wiedower said.
The money would go to the Georgia Lottery for the HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K funding, with a carve of up to $22.5 million a year for problem gaming.
The representative is also proposing two-factor authentication for accounts and no free money promotional offers.
A constitutional amendment requires a 2/3rd majority in the House and Senate, which means both Republican and Democratic votes are required. Wiedower thinks he can bring more Republicans on board.
“In the Republican primary, they put a question on the ballot. Do you want us to decide, or do you want to decide? And over 80% of people said they want to decide. You know, certainly, that helps my Republican colleagues. As far as the Democrat side of things … we’ll see how that goes.”
Democratic State Senator Derek Mallow of Savannah says his caucus is ready to negotiate with Republican bill backers.
“We’re not asking for all of our priorities, but we are asking for some. If it requires the majority of our caucus to vote for it, then we should have a significant influence on whatever that legislation may be.”
Mallow says that could include items inside of lottery-funded programs.
“There are other programs within the lottery that we could dedicate funds to that already exist, so it would be just for the strengthening pre-K programs, capital outlay grants, and some of the priorities that we have in education that we want to see.”
Wiedower filed House Bill 686 and House Resolution 450 on Friday.
Opposition is expected to include those personally opposed to gambling and those concerned about the harms of problem gambling.
The only other gaming bill this legislative session failed in a Senate committee on Thursday. Senate Resolution 131 would have allowed a voter referendum to amend the state constitution to allow both sports betting and casino gambling in Georgia.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated a carve of up to $20 million yearly for problem gaming rather than the correct amount of $22.5 million.
