Sports betting, other legalized gambling could beat long odds after Georgia Legislature shakeup

Could this be this year Georgia lawmakers crack open the door to the expansion of legal gambling? (Photo/Georgia Tech)

State Rep. Ron Stephens, a Savannah Republican, wanted to make a point about gambling in the state of Georgia. During a 2021 hearing on legalized sports gambling, he walked to the well of the house and said he was filing a bill to outlaw all gambling in the state. He asked members to come up and sign the bill.

His bill, Stephens said, would have instantly meant the end of the Hope Scholarship.

“Not a single person came up,” said Stephens, who is the chairman of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee. “If anyone did sign it, it would have been their political death wish. They would have been booted out of office with both feet.”