Sports Betting News From Kentucky and Georgia

This past week, major news related to the legalization of sports betting in Kentucky and Georgia was delivered to the public. For the residents in one state, it was good news. For residents in the other state, it was bad news. It has become very clear that the legislators in Kentucky and Georgia feel very differently about moving forward with sports betting legislation.

Sports Betting Legislation Passes Kentucky Committee

When Rep. Michael Meredith called a committee hearing regarding HB 551 (sports betting legislation), he could not have predicted what happened. As he put the legislation to a vote within 20 minutes of calling the House Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations Committee to order, the vote was in. By a committee vote of 20-0, the bill passed.

All that was left to do was to adjourn the hearing with the promise of moving HB 551 to the House floor for discussion and a vote. When asked why the bill has bipartisan support, this is what Rep. Meredith told the press:

“The reality is, we know there’s a ton of this activity already going on in the state and there’s a ton of residents crossing the border to place their bets. We just need to bring this home and regulate it properly.”

His sentiments were echoed by Rep. Mike Clines, Rep. Al Gentry, and Rep. Emily Callaway.

With the removal of certain items from the original legislation, it seems certain the bill, as is, will get through the House. The story could be quite different in the Senate, but getting through the House was a step in the right direction.

Sports Betting Legislation Fails Yet Again in Georgia

There were three sports betting bills presented last week in either the Georgia House or Senate. Unfortunately, all three bills failed, leaving the sports betting question up in the air.

On March 3rd and March 6th, two sports betting bills were presented in the Senate. It was strike one and strike two as neither bill made it to a vote. The third strike came in the House on March 6th when they also failed to raise a vote on a 3rd bill: strike three.

It's been two (2) years since the first sports betting bill was delivered to legislators. Several other attempts have taken place over the last couple of years. So far, sports betting legislation in Georgia has been nothing short of being "dead in the water."

In order to pass sports betting legislation, the Georgia constitution will need to be amended. That would require passage by a two-thirds vote. The support for such a passage just isn't there right now.

At this point, the only remaining option would be to get something before the voters and let them decide the matter. Sports betting opponents won't let that happen. What does that mean for sports betting in Georgia? Clearly, nothing is going to get done in 2023. It looks like the best-case scenario will be Georgia residents getting to bet on sports by 2025 at the earliest.