Georgia Sports Betting Hopes Crash Out After Crossover Defeat

• A Georgia sports betting bill and referendum did not crossover on Friday, March 6
• HR 450 and HB 686 were defeated in the House on crossover day after an impassioned plea from one of its allies
• HR 450 was defeated by a 63-98 vote

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Georgia sports betting finds itself back to square one after yet another legislative defeat.

The Georgia House of Representative voted down HR 450, a resolution to allow for a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting in the state, by a 63-98 vote on crossover day, Friday, March 6.

The state’s sports betting hopes have dwindled down to nearly nothing for yet another year, which saw one of its biggest proponents giving an impassioned plea moments before the roll call to actually vote down the legislation.

Conversation Needed to Start in January

Rep. Al Williams (D-168), a co-sponsor of HR 450 and the president-elect of the National Council of Legislators From Gaming States, passionately spoke out against the legislation for nearly 10 minutes during the crossover day.

Williams roundly criticized the way the bill was presented to House Democrats, noting that his party had very little say throughout the process and scarce input on how sports betting revenues would be earmarked in the state.

“Here is something that has no reason in the world that it couldn’t work if we worked together. This is in need of bipartisan support. To get bipartisan support, you need to let the folks on this side of the aisle have some say on how this money will be divided,” Williams said.

Conversations on the bill, and what its revenue would support in the state, should have started with across the aisle discussions in January, Williams said, and not just within the last week by House Republicans.

“I have studied this more than most here. I know it can be perfected, but must be perfected by two sets of ideas. Those on the right, those on the left, and those in the middle,” he said.

HR 450, and HB 686 which established Georgia’s sports betting framework, proposed used sports betting revenue for a special fund to support the state’s pre-kindergarten programs and other educational avenues.

Williams stumped for revenue to support programs to decrease infant mortality in Georgia and fund healthcare measures.

“I have been for gaming for years and I don’t gamble, but I know we need the revenue. I don’t want to go home and say I voted yes because the pressure got too heavy. I’m not crashing over this,” he said.

Georgia Sports Betting Bill Details

If HR 450 had been approved, Georgia voters would have had the final say on sports betting during November’s general election. An amendment question for Georgia’s constitution to legalize sports betting in the Peach State would have appeared on November’s general election ballot.

Legislators put forth a framework that would have allowed 16 sports betting licenses in the state. Each Georgia professional sports franchise would have been eligible for a license, with seven additional licenses available through a public procurement process. One final master license would have been available for the Georgia lottery.

The legislation called for sports betting to be taxed at a rate of 27.5% of adjusted gross revenues.

Licenses would have cost $1 million annually to hold, with a mandatory $100,000 application fee.

Always an Uphill Battle in 2026

Georgia’s 2026 sports betting chances were always low and are now basically zero. There is a minimal chance sports betting language can be tacked on to a bill that was successfully crossed over to either legislative chamber, but is incredibly unlikely.

There always seemed to be too many hurdles for sports betting legalization in 2026. After the 2025 failure, Georgia lawmakers approved the formation of a study committee to evaluate the potential benefits of legalized sports betting and casino gaming.

However, after several months of meetings, the Georgia House Study Committee on Gaming offered no recommendations or opinions for or against the legalization of sports betting, casino gambling, horse racing, lottery, or any other form of regulated gaming in the state in its final nine-page report.

Instead, the committee simply provided background of its formation and a brief summation of each of its four meetings, leaving its opinion on the legalization of Georgia gaming a mystery.

Many hoped the committee would offer a final recommendation or opinion on the legalization of Georgia sports betting or casino gaming. Instead, the final report mainly focused on providing links to testimony shared by gaming representatives and those in opposition who spoke throughout the court of the meetings.