On election day, Missouri became the 39th state in the country to legalize sports betting. Georgia remains one of the 11 that still outlaws the activity. This is shortsighted.
In the next seven years, Georgia will host the College Football Playoff National Championship, World Cup games, the Super Bowl and an NCAA Final Four. Our stubbornness to legalize this wildly popular activity is not only forgoing millions of dollars in tax revenue, but also propping up shady offshore betting sites that have zero protections to prevent minors from gambling, have no problem-betting resources and might not even pay winners.
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Even though sports betting is illegal in Georgia, Google search data shows it is extremely popular. According to the search data from the past year, Georgia is one of the top locations for people searching for the illegal and offshore casino Bovada. GeoComply, a company that conducts location checks for regulated sports betting sites in the United States, noted a more than 100% increase in Georgia-based players trying to access legal sportsbooks in other states over the same period last year. (Because legitimate online sports betting sites are committed to following the law, these access attempts are blocked while wagering remains illegal in Georgia.)
But make no mistake, when major sports events come to Atlanta starting in 2025, millions of visitors are going to expect to be able to access their favorite sports betting websites and, unless we pass legislation during this legislative session, Georgia will be an inhospitable location to many of these rabid sports fans. That shortsightedness will not only cost the state of Georgia millions of dollars in lost revenue, but also will likely dictate whether our state is awarded future top-tier sporting events.
Georgia Republicans were right to chastise Stacey Abrams for costing our economy hundreds of millions in economic activity when the MLB pulled the All-Star game over her claims about an elections and voting bill the Legislature passed in 2021. Republicans will only have ourselves to blame when FIFA, the NFL, the NCAA and others decide Georgia isn’t a fan-friendly state to locate big games because of our refusal to legalize sports betting.
Beyond the economic implications of sports betting, the data shows that sports betting is remarkably popular with voters, particularly those that just delivered a historic victory for President-elect Donald Trump. According to research by Arizona State University, Latino males are the ones most often to engage in sports betting. Exit polls show that in 2020, President Joe Biden won Latino males by 23 points. In 2024, Trump won them by 12 points, a 35-point shift.
The Georgia Republican Party also placed the question of sports betting on the primary ballot this past May. Republican primary voters were asked, “Would you support a statewide vote to allow gaming in Georgia so the voters can decide this issue instead of politicians in Atlanta?” The result was overwhelming. More than 81% of voters agreed this issue should be decided by the voters through a statewide vote, so why do Republicans keep denying our base that opportunity?
Time is running out. Soon, the national and international sporting community will descend on our state for some of the biggest events in sports. We can either welcome fans with safe and legal sports betting in Georgia, or we can disappoint fans and foreclose ourselves from future big sporting events. For me, the choice is easy.
Sen. Brandon Beach serves as the chairman of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee. He represents the 21st Senate District, which includes portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties.
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