\nThe Senate decided to take the route of a constitutional amendment, and I\u2019m OK with that,\u201d Stephens said. \u201cIt removes all doubt, if there is any, that this can be legal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The two measures addressing online sports betting were referred to the House Rules Committee on Thursday. These are Senate Resolution 135, proposing a constitutional amendment allowing sports betting, and Senate Bill 142, authorizing the Georgia Lottery Corp. to manage sports wagering.<\/p>\n
The legislative session ends Wednesday at the Capitol in Atlanta. This gives lawmakers only a few days to decide on sports betting or any other legislative matter.<\/p>\n
Pro Teams Support Sports Betting<\/h2>\n
Stephens is among sports betting proponents who say millions of Georgians already bet on sports illegally. That costs the state tax money that could go to education and other programs, he said. Some Georgians also are going into Tennessee to bet on sporting events, using their smartphones. Tennessee legalized online sports betting in the fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIf we make it legal, we\u2019ll get revenue out of it,\u201d Stephens said.<\/p>\n
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Opponents contend any gambling leads to an increase in crime and can shatter families that fall into a financial hole from continued losses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Atlanta\u2019s four major professional sports teams have joined together in an effort to win approval of sports betting in the state. Those teams are the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, and Atlanta United.<\/p>\n
In the vote this week, the House committee agreed to allow betting only on professional sporting events, and not college games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cFor us to fight chancellors of these colleges would be an uphill battle,\u201d Stephens said. \u201cFor me, I want to get this thing started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Money Earmarked for Education<\/h2>\n
Under the proposed constitutional amendment, 20 percent of net proceeds from online sports betting would go to the state, according to Capitol Beat<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Of that, 40.5 percent would go to Georgia\u2019s HOPE scholarships and pre-kindergarten programs. Programs for needs-based scholarships would receive 20.5 percent of sports betting tax revenue.<\/p>\n
Additional amounts would go to broadband services in rural Georgia, rural health care, and mental health services. A smaller portion would be used to help attract major sporting events to Georgia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Georgia voters could be closer to having a say in whether they want to legalize online sports betting in the state. A key committee this week voted in favor of a measure requiring a constitutional amendment on sports betting, according to the Capitol Beat website. The Georgia House of Representatives\u2019 Economic Development and Tourism Committee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":168601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Georgia Voters Could Get Chance to Decide on Sports Betting - Casino.org Georgia Voters Could Get Chance to Decide on Sports Betting<\/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