Lawmakers: Sports betting legislation passes senate committee on Day 21

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Paul Smith, founder and executive director of Citizen Impact, appears before the Georgia Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee on Feb. 21, 2023

Credit: Sarah Kallis / GPB News

The Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee passed a bill that aims to create a pathway for legal gambling in Georgia. 

Senate Bill 57, sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman (R - Statesboro), would allow Georgia to set up a sports betting industry, both online and in-person at sporting events. The 58-page bill has bipartisan support, and passed out of committee 8-1. 

Supporters of SB 57 say that Georgians are already sports betting using websites that operate out of other states or countries where sports betting is legal. Through legal sports betting, Georgia could collect revenue from the sports betting. 

"We don't really know how many people are betting in Georgia. Right? It's all being done under the cover darkness," Rep. Marcus Wiedower (R - Watkinsville) said. Wiedower sponsored a House bill aiming to legalize sports betting, House Bill 380. 

HB 380 was heard in committee on Tuesday afternoon but the bill was not voted on. 

Opponents of the bills cite concerns over gambling addiction, and argue that legal sports betting could end up costing the state. 

"Sports gambling also makes poor people poorer," Dr. John Kindt said in the committee. "Click your phone, lose your home. Click your mouse, lose your house. According to the medical community, gambling addiction is comparable to drug addiction."

Kindt, a retired college professor, opposes the bill. 

Former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court Harold Melton said lawmakers wouldn't need a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting. Creating a constitutional amendment is a much lengthier process, as it would require a voter referendum and two-thirds of the Lawmakers to approve.

A poll from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that voters surveyed overall supported sports betting legalization. 

Sports betting would fall under the Georgia lottery, which funds the HOPE Scholarship.