The legislation, introduced by Sen. Burt Jones (R-Jackson), would have allowed the Georgia Lottery to issue online sports betting licenses to interested operators and regulate the expanded gambling. Sportsbook operators would have ponied up a $900,000 annual licensing fee to the state upon approval. They would also have their sports betting revenue taxed at 20 percent.<\/p>\n
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Jones forecast that mobile sports betting would have resulted in $60 million in yearly new tax revenue. But just as the gambling referendum failed, internet sports wagering did, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The sports betting bill struggled to gain momentum primarily because of Governor Brian Kemp’s (R) opposition to gambling. While the governor said he would not stand in the way of a constitutional question giving voters the power to decide to lift the state’s casino prohibition, he said he would veto gaming bills that don’t have the public’s support.<\/p>\n
Budget Woes Could Improve Gaming Odds<\/b><\/h2>\n
The crusade to bring gambling to the Peach State is not over. The state budget adopted by lawmakers last month cuts spending by 10 percent and calls for further reductions should the financial impact of COVID-19 linger.<\/p>\n
Stephens believes further financial budget problems will bring more state lawmakers to his side.<\/p>\n
“Right now, we’re not having to lay off teachers or let prisoners go. Next year, if we come back here and have real budget problems again and the federal stimulus money is not coming back, we’re going to be in deep doo-doo,”<\/strong> opined Stephens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Georgia gambling ballot referendum that would have asked voters whether they want to authorize commercial casinos, and a separate online sports betting bill, both failed to pass the state legislature before it adjourned last week. If a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the General Assembly would have approved Senate Resolution 841, Georgians would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":140928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Georgia Gambling Ballot Referendum and Online Sports Betting Bill Fail<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n