April 19, 2024
ATLANTA — One of a series of legislative proposals that would have legalized sports gambling and opened the door to pari-mutuel betting on horse racing in Georgia fell far short of the votes it needed to move forward in the Senate on Thursday.
The 37-19 vote may signal that two other pro-gambling bills still pending will face long odds.
A bill that would legalize sports betting but exclude horse racing is still awaiting a vote, as is legislation calling for a ballot referendum to allow voters to accept or reject a constitutional amendment to expand gambling.
The vote to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, a high hurdle in a Bible Belt state like Georgia where the constitution explicitly bans wagering at horse tracks and casinos.
Pro-gambling advocates have been pushing their cause in Georgia for years. Their only success so far was in creating the state lottery in 1992.
State Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, said any state revenue expanded gambling would generate for the state will come out of the pockets of Georgians.
“The issue of gambling is that there’s always a loser," Harbin said. "There can never be a winner without a loser.”
Pro-gambling lawmaker Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, argued the state is essentially forfeiting revenue from “unregulated sports betting that's done underground with bookies.”
