Ga Casino Bill 2021

A second gambling expansion bill was filed in Georgia Tuesday as Rep. Ron Stephens filed HR 30, which would allow citizens to vote on whether casino gambling is legal.

House Bill 86 would authorize the Georgia Lottery to manage an online sports wagering system. Sports betting companies would pay a 16% tax on their income, with all the revenue going to the HOPE scholarship. The legislation is backed by a coalition of four professional Atlanta sports franchises. A second gambling expansion bill was filed in Georgia Tuesday as Rep. Ron Stephens filed HR 30, which would allow citizens to vote on whether casino gambling is legal. It’s the second gambling bill that Stephens has sponsored after having his name attached to an online sports betting bill that was filed earlier this month at the start of the. A Savannah Republican lawmaker is again pushing legislation that would ask Georgia voters if they believe casino gambling should be allowed in the state. House Tourism and Economic Development Chairman Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, filed House Resolution 30 on Tuesday, which would put a question on the 2022 ballot asking Georgia voters if they support allowing casinos in Georgia.

It’s the second gambling bill that Stephens has sponsored after having his name attached to an online sports betting bill that was filed earlier this month at the start of the legislative session. According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Stephens said he plans to file a third piece of legislation that would legalize horse racing.

If passed, HR 30 would put a question on the ballot in 2022 asking whether voters support bringing casinos to the Peach State. Last December, Stephens told local media that getting expanded gambling passed in 2021 was incredibly likely but did mention that sports betting would be the easiest to pass.

Casino gambling would require an amendment to the state constitution which is why it would require a ballot initiative. With bills that require a constitutional amendment, two-thirds majority is needed in both chambers to get to the governor’s desk. Sports betting, however, could be legalized through the normal legislative process and a simple majority vote.

Like most other states that are looking at expanded gambling, tax revenue is a driving force behind legalization.

“We’re back at trying to backfill the HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K, and the destination resorts, along with the tourism piece, is the way to do it,” Stephens told the AJC.

There was growing support for expanded gambling as the 2020 legislative session started, but the pandemic forced lawmakers to rearrange their legislative priorities. At the start of 2020, the president of the Atlanta Motor Speedway drew up a proposal for a $1 billion casino complex on-site.

Posted on: January 25, 2021, 03:20h.

Last updated on: January 25, 2021, 03:39h.

As promised, a Georgia legislator filed a bill this month at the Capitol in Atlanta to allow sports betting in the Peach State.

A measure by Rep. Ron Stephens (R) would put the Georgia Lottery in charge of managing online sports wagering in the state, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Proceeds would go to the HOPE scholarship.

By placing sports betting in the Georgia Lottery’s hands, Stephens’ legislation, House Bill 86, would not require an amendment to the state constitution. Stephens, who is from Savannah, is chairman of the House Tourism and Economic Development Committee.

Under the bill, the companies providing sports betting services would pay a 16 percent tax on revenue. Gamblers placing bets would have to be 21-years-old and within the state when wagering, the newspaper reported.

Stephens anticipates sports betting would generate $100 million in tax revenue. He has estimated illegal sports wagering in Georgia is a $1.5 billion industry.

Opponents Cite Social Costs

Stephens’ sports betting proposal has the support of the Georgia Professional Sports Integrity Alliance. This is a coalition of four professional sports teams in Atlanta. The teams are the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, and Atlanta United.

Derek Schiller, the Braves’ president and CEO, said the city’s four franchises would not receive revenue from sports wagering. The Braves are the city’s Major League Baseball team, competing in the National League.

This is good for our fans, we think, from a fan engagement perspective,” he told the newspaper. “But it’s also good for the state, because it drives new tax revenue to the state, especially in this unique time that we’re in and going to be recovering from.”

Ga Casino Bill 2019

Those who oppose the bill say gambling comes with social costs, such as crime and broken families.

Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition lobbyist Virginia Galloway told the newspaper it is bad policy to argue that gambling income will help the HOPE scholarship program.

“Gambling always costs more than it brings in,” she told the newspaper.

Casino Gambling’s Next Step

In addition to sport betting, Stephens wants casino gambling and horse racing to be allowed in Georgia. These changes would require an amendment to the state constitution.

A constitutional amendment requires two-thirds approval in both legislative chambers and passage in a public vote. A bill only needs support from a majority of lawmakers in both chambers before going to the governor

Ga Casino Bill 2021 Schedule

Stephens told the newspaper he introduced the sports betting bill first because that proposal is “the path of least resistance.”

“Then, hopefully, it would build the momentum to get the other ones through,” he said.

Ga Casino Bill 2021 Dates

The path for the sports wagering bill still might be rocky. The newspaper’s Legislative Navigator site gives it a 25 percent chance of passage.

Ga Casino Bill 2021 Calendar

Georgia is not the only Southern state addressing sports betting this year. In Louisiana, voters last November approved sports wagering in a majority of the state’s parishes. Lawmakers will meet in April at the Capitol in Baton Rouge to decide several issues before legal sports betting is allowed. One topic still to be decided is whether to permit mobile sports wagering or only in-person betting at sportsbooks inside casinos.