The Georgia Senate has rejected a constitutional amendment that would have let voters decide if betting on horseracing should be legal. The vote was 33-20 in favor of the resolution, falling short of the two-thirds minimum required for a constitutional amendment to move to the House.
The bill’s sponsor, state Senator Jeff Mullis, said, “I am disappointed in my colleagues. I was really hoping you would let this go to the ballot. That’s all this does is send it to the ballot.”
Besides the constitutional amendment, Senate Bill 212 would have authorized up to five horseracing tracks in the state. Proponents noted a Georgia Southern University study showed horseracing could generate $1.28 billion and create 15,800 jobs over 10 years. That would attract horse breeding and training to rural areas and provide revenue for education, health care and other priorities. State Senator Brandon Beach said, “We should be rolling out the red carpet for this industry.”
Instead, opponents focused on the possibility of slots and other gambling machines at the tracks, even though the legislation prohibited that. Others said gambling leads to addiction and social ills. State Senator Marty Harbin said, “In gambling, for there to be a winner, there must be a loser.”
The sports betting measure Senate Bill 142, approved by the Senate last year, is still active in the House.
