Georgia lawmakers must live for drama.
Thursday is the Georgia House of Representatives' deadline to pass two pieces of legislation that represent the state’s best chance for legalizing sports betting in the near future.
Members of the House’s Higher Education Committee met and approved those two measures, House Resolution 450 and House Bill 686, during a meeting Wednesday. This gives the House just one more day to get them over to the Senate.
Everybody's doing it
House committee members first considered the legislation Tuesday night and heard testimony for and against its passage. The resolution proposes an amendment to Georgia’s constitution authorizing sports betting while the bill provides an online-only model for that wagering if voters approve the amendment.
“This measure, as I see it, is to rein in or to put guardrails on something that is happening right now,” said Republican Rep. Marcus Wiedower, one of the legislation's sponsors. “Each one of us can pick up our phone, place bets with zero to no regulations whatsoever.”
Wiedower explained the various provisions of the proposed legislation, including a ban on free bets, no college prop wagering, proceeds devoted to education, and as many as 16 online sports betting licensees.
Some #breaking news: the Georgia House of Representatives' Higher Education Committee just passed two sports betting-related measures. Both must pass the House as a whole by Thursday to have a hope of becoming law and legalizing sports betting.https://t.co/0V9v0mGdlR@Covers pic.twitter.com/bK8FYu4kHl
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) March 5, 2025
This is how we do it
That model would take effect only if the legislature passes H.R. 450 and voters approve its proposed constitutional amendment in Nov. 2026. Then, and only then, would H.B. 686’s provisions take effect starting in 2027.
However, there's also the possibility H.R. 450 becomes law and H.B. 686 does not, which would then leave it up to the legislature to figure out other implementation legislation. If H.B. 686 passes and there's no constitutional amendment, the proposed sports betting act would be automatically repealed.
“I would just contend that I think that there's probably some comfort in making sure we at least have a conversation about how the enabling language would look should it move forward,” Wiedower said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a representative made a tweak to H.B. 686’s proposed tax rate, increasing it to 24% from its initially proposed 20%.
“My understanding is that would increase the amount of revenue going toward universal pre-K under this bill by approximately $40 million,” said Democratic Rep. Sam Park, the amendment’s author.
The House accepted and approved Park’s tax amendment, making it part of H.B. 686 going forward. Another amendment Park proposed, to add online casino gambling to H.R. 450, was not.
Both measures now head to the Georgia House’s Rules Committee, which is scheduled to meet Thursday morning. That keeps alive the possibility of getting them over to the Senate before Thursday's deadline.
