Georgia House Speaker David Ralston may introduce legislation proposing a voter referendum to expand gambling beyond the state lottery. The catch is the bill would not define what types of gambling would be allowed. He said if voters approve the ballot issue, lawmakers then will determine how to move forward.
Ralston said, “There is an appetite this session that I haven’t seen before to do something. We’ve tripped over the details of this thing for years. Maybe it’s time that we asked the question of Georgians whether they want to expand gaming, and if they say yes, then we sit down and decide what form it will take, whether it’s going to be sports betting, whether you do horses or destination resorts.”
Longtime gambling opponent Governor Brian Kemp has stated if two-thirds of the legislature and a majority of Georgia voters support the idea, it will pass regardless of his stance. ” It doesn’t matter what I think if they pass a constitutional amendment,” Kemp said.
One drawback to Ralston’s expanded gambling is the timing. If a super-majority of legislators approve his proposal, a majority of voters would have to pass it in November. Then, developing a regulatory framework for whatever expansion would be included could take most of 2023. That means online sports betting most likely wouldn’t launch until late 2023 or early 2024, and that’s if all the moving parts come together quickly.
Lawmakers have sponsored bills to legalize casino gambling, parimutuel betting on horseracing and sports betting in Georgia every year for the last decade. Most of those bills would dedicate a portion of the proceeds to the HOPE Scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs.
Last year, the Senate passed a constitutional amendment that called for a statewide referendum to legalize sports betting, but it never reached the House floor. A coalition of the Atlanta Braves, Falcons, Hawks and Atlanta United announced they will be back this year to lobby lawmakers on behalf of the sports betting measure.
