Online Sports Betting in Georgia

Georgia has yet to legalize retail or online sports betting, leaving residents without access to convenient online betting options.

While the state does have very restrictive gambling laws, many legislators are dedicated to legalizing casino gambling and sports betting in the state. However, lawmakers will have to wait until 2023 to address this issue because efforts to pass sports betting legislation in 2022 were unsuccessful.

Here’s what you need to know about online sports betting in Georgia, including when it may be legalized and whether residents support it.

Recent News and Details About Sports Betting in Georgia

• There is currently no way for residents to legally bet on sports in Georgia.
• Atlanta’s four major sports franchises partnered to form the Georgia Professional Sports Integrity Alliance in support of legalizing sports betting in the state. However, despite this support, legislative efforts to legalize sports betting have been unsuccessful thus far.
• The movement to legalize casino gaming and sports betting has picked up steam in recent years, with several Georgia legislators putting forward bills to legalize both. Lawmakers have also suggested allowing residents to vote on the legalization of gambling and sports betting.
• In 2021, a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting in Georgia passed through the Georgia Senate but the bill never made it to the Governor’s desk.
• Georgia is one of the few states in the country to not have commercial or tribal casinos, so legalizing gambling and sports betting is a much tougher procedural obstacle as compared to other states.
• As it stands, Georgia won’t see legal sports betting for at least another year because legislators were unable to pass legislation for it during the 2022 session. Legislators will have to revisit sports betting legalization in the 2023 regular legislative session.

Online Sports Betting in Georgia: A Timeline

Sports betting remains illegal in Georgia as lawmakers have been unable to pass legislation legalizing sports betting or casino gaming in the state. With strong support from some legislators and the state’s major sports teams, though, there is hope that sports betting could be legalized sooner rather than later as more states around the country continue to pass their own legislation. Here’s a timeline of Georgia’s efforts to legalize statewide sports betting:

• April 4, 2022: The Georgia regular legislative session ends without passing any bills to legalize sports betting. The Legislature will have to revisit legalization in 2023.
• March 28, 2022: Rep. Ron Stephens amends two of the gambling bills passed by the Senate in 2021. Both SB 142 and SR 135 pass through the House Committee.
• March 18, 2022: Lawmakers put forth a proposal to allow voters to decide whether horse betting should be legal in the state, though this initiative does not advance from the Senate floor.
• Feb. 18, 2022: DraftKings indicates it will look to launch its mobile sports betting platform in Georgia if and when online sports betting is legalized within the state.
• May 20, 2021: FanDuel, a major DFS and sports betting platform, announces its plans to open a product development hub in Atlanta. As part of this plan, FanDuel will invest $15 million into the Georgia economy over the next five years.
• March 31, 2021: Georgia’s 2021 legislative session ends without passing any sports betting bills. The NAACP has voiced its opposition to legalizing sports betting in Georgia.

How Do Georgia Residents Feel About Sports Betting?

While Georgia has yet to legalize sports betting or casino gaming, a poll conducted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in January 2020 found that the majority of Georgia voters support legalizing sports betting.

This poll indicates that if Georgia legislators put sports betting legalization on the ballot, voters would likely vote to legalize it. This same poll also found that 64.2% of Georgia voters support legalizing casino gambling in Georgia.

Are Daily Fantasy Sports Apps Legal in Georgia?

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) apps are a popular alternative to traditional sports betting apps, particularly in states that have yet to legalize online sports betting. These apps let users build fantasy sports teams and compete against other users in daily and weekly contests for cash and other prizes. However, some states classify these contests as gambling and prohibit them.

In Georgia, there is no law that explicitly prohibits DFS contests. So, while they aren’t explicitly legal, platforms such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo can offer DFS contests in the state.

Georgia Sports Betting FAQs

Editor’s Note: Information accurate as of June 2022.

Neighboring States That Legalized Sports Betting

While Georgia is still in the process of legalizing statewide sports betting, two of its neighbors have already done so: 

• North Carolina: North Carolina bettors can bet on sports at the state’s two retail sportsbooks. While mobile betting is not yet available, the state is working to pass legislation that would legalize online sports betting.
• Tennessee: Online sports betting is legal and live in Tennessee, and bettors can choose from several mobile betting apps, including major platforms DraftKings, BetMGM, Barstool, and FanDuel. However, retail sports betting is not available in Tennessee.