ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers are once again pushing to legalize online sports betting as the new legislative session gets underway under the Gold Dome.
Gwinnett County Representative Matt Reeves says he plans to push for a vote on a measure that stalled last year, which would put the question before voters on the November ballot through a constitutional amendment.
“You’d have a constitutional amendment, you’d have a statewide referendum, and you’d have the funds going to the lottery, they’d be available for pre-K, for literacy, and for educational needs,” Reeves said.
Reeves says the proposal would include guardrails, with regulation through the state lottery and transparency for law enforcement.
“I think having the lottery regulated, having law enforcement transparency would be a benefit in Georgia in addition to education funds,” he said.
According to Reeves, as much as $2B could flow into Georgia’s education programs over the next decade if voters approve the amendment. He says online sports betting is already happening in the state and that legalization would regulate the activity.
“We’re not talking about casinos, we’re not talking about other in-person gambling, we’re talking about online sports betting which is already occurring here in Georgia; this would regulate it,” Reeves said.
Opponents argue the downsides of allowing online sports betting outweigh any potential benefits for education funding.
Online sports betting is expected to be back under discussion this legislative session, with advocates believing this could be the year Georgia legalizes the practice.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.