Augusta National Golf Course famously prohibits patrons from bringing their phones on the course during the Masters Tournament. It may be several more years until attendees outside Magnolia Lane can place a legal mobile sports bet.
Georgia lawmakers earlier this month killed legislation to allow mobile sportsbooks in the state. Though legal wagering has had bipartisan support in recent legislative sessions, lawmakers have not been able to overcome opposition from conservative leaders or settle questions about the need for a voter-backed ballot measure to approve it.
In the meantime, Georgia remains one of just four states with at least three professional sports teams and no legal sportsbooks.
Georgia sports betting background
Like most other states, lawmakers in Georgia have considered sports betting legalization since the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban in 2018. Since then, 39 states have approved legal wagering with Hawaii on the cusp of following later this month.
Few states have come closer, without success, than Georgia.
Lawmakers appeared to have a legalization framework in place during multiple previous legislative sessions only for deals to fall apart. Supporters tried again in 2025, only to see a bill gain even less traction than previous years.
Though legal wagering has bipartisan support, it also has bipartisan opposition.
Some Democrats have opposed legal sports betting over concerns it would harm the financially vulnerable. A contingent of Republicans, who control both chambers, have opposed gambling in general, fearing it as a moral vice that would spark societal ills.
For sports betting fans in Georgia, I'm hearing the "flame is flickering" on chances the state House will pass a measure today before a key legislative deadline. "I wouldn't bet on it," says another supporter. #gapol
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 6, 2025
Legislators are also divided over how to implement sports betting.
Some introduced bills would require a voter-backed referendum on an upcoming ballot. This could be a political tool that absolves lawmakers of any potential political push back, but it also creates another step before legal wagering can begin.
Other sports betting supporters have argued the state constitution would permit sports betting if it was under the purview of the state lottery, which was created more than 30 years ago by a ballot measure. Under that approach, lawmakers are also divided about how potential sports betting dollars from the lottery, which funds educational purposes, would be allocated.
This has left one of the nation’s most populated states, home to multiple prominent professional and college sports teams, without legal sportsbooks.
Georgia sports betting future
This doesn’t mean Georgia sports betting is hopeless.
Supporters have already introduced legislation for the 2026 session that would allow mobile sportsbooks under the lottery’s purview. In the coming months, backers could also introduce a ballot-measure bill, which could gain more traction due to its proximity to the 2026 midterm elections.
Georgia also remains a tantalizing market for major operators.
FanDuel, the nation’s No. 1 mobile sportsbook by market share, has an office in Atlanta and has pushed for legal wagering in the state for years. Other major books including DraftKings, BetMGM, ESPN BET, Fanatics, and Caesars (which operates the two North Carolina casinos closest to the Atlanta metro) would also seek to take bets in the state.
For now, the continued defeats in the legislature mean no legal sportsbooks for Augusta National visitors. Neighboring South Carolina, whose border is a few miles from Amen Corner, seems even further from legal betting.
The 2027 Masters remains the quickest possible tournament to have legal sports betting in Georgia.
