Georgia House and Senate committees are taking a stand in favor of sports bettors this week as they consider bills ranging from legalizing placing a bet while attending a game to depositing money by phone or through kiosks at restaurants or bars are sufficient.
The largest sports betting proposal is sponsored by Republican Senator Billy Hickman and would legalize sports gambling and horse racing. His legislation passed Monday, 8-1, by the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism.
The three sports betting plans that have been in motion so far have some key differences. While none of the bills would clear the way for casinos to open, Hickman’s bill would allow up to three racetracks to be licensed. Supporters of the bills are also divided over whether Georgia voters should hold a statewide referendum to decide whether sports betting needs to be approved.
Up to three racetracks could be sanctified with Hickman’s bill. Hickman said sports betting and horse racing could bring new jobs to rural Georgia.
“We already have horse racing in Georgia,” Hickman said at the committee hearing on Feb. 14. “It’s legal in Georgia. In rural Georgia there are so-called bush slopes. This would result in it being subject to a lottery and there would be sanctioned routes.”
The expansion of gambling in Georgia is often criticized for the state introducing an addictive product that comes at the expense of the mental health of some people and families who can least afford to lose money. Opponents also complain that horse racing has a sordid history animal abuse and mortally harming some under the guise of competition.
At a Feb. 14 hearing, Peggy McCarthy, a volunteer with the Georgia Pet Coalition, urged lawmakers to repeal horse racing legislation, saying the industry is losing popularity in other states and often relies on casino revenue cuts and state subsidies.
Once horses are no longer able to compete on the track, a program must usually be found that can provide for them for the remaining 20 to 30 years of their lives.
“Everyone inside and outside the industry agrees that the funding is insufficient and endangered horses are left without a safety net (and at risk of being slaughtered,” McCarthy said. “Georgia can already handle the current number of unwanted and neglected horses cannot cope and is easily overwhelmed by the additional influx.”
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The three bills would create new wagering commissions under the Georgia Lottery to oversee regulations and licenses that would fund HOPE scholarships and college preschools. Georgia has raised $26 billion in education through scratch cards, Powerball and other games since 1993, when it sold its first lottery tickets.
A House of Representatives committee heard about it on Tuesday Online Sports Betting Supporters and opponents during a public hearing on GOP Rep. Marcus Wiedower’s bill
On Thursday, a Senate panel is expected to hear Republican Senator from Athens Bill Cowsert on his sports betting referendum, which proposes nationwide legalization of sports betting. Cowsert’s legislation would require the support of Georgians voting on constitutional amendment, and a portion of the proceeds would go to need-based grants.
In Cowsert’s bill, the state legislature would set up a gambling corporation to oversee the licensing of sports betting kiosks in bars and restaurants, as well as online betting
In recent years, a majority of lawmakers from both houses have supported expanding legalized betting opportunities, but despite pushes from professional sports franchises, casinos and the horse gaming industry, none of the bills passed either house.
Last year, a House bill legalizing casinos and horse betting fell short of the home stretch when a Senate vote fell 34-17, short of the two-thirds majority required for a statewide vote.
This week, Wideower altered his plan to increase state revenue by setting the amount licensees would have to pay at 20% of their adjusted gross income. Wideower expects more than $100 million in new revenue for education in the first year if his proposal is accepted.
Hickman cited a memo by former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Harold Melton in which he argues that if sports betting were handled by the Georgia Lottery and horse racing was treated like other sports bets, state lawmakers can avoid a referendum.
According to Hickman, Georgia could generate more than $300 million in revenue within its first year of legal sports betting, based on nationwide projections.
In September, The Pew Research Center reported that one in five American adults has betted on sports in the past 12 months, with little variation based on education level, income or political affiliation.
