Is Sports Betting Legal In The State
No. While there has been a lot of progress toward legalizing sports betting in Georgia, legalization efforts failed in 2024, creating a best-case-scenario of a 2025 target for the Peach State. Sports bettors in Georgia got their hopes up in February of 2024 when Senate Bill 386 was approved in the state senate, but the legislative session ended in March of 2024 without a sports betting bill being passed. As Atlanta Falcons fans say annually, “Maybe next year.”
Georgia Quick Facts
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Launch Date: TBD -
ImageLegal Betting Age: TBD
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ImageOnline Sports Betting: No
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ImageOnline Casino Sites: No
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ImageOnline Poker Sites: No
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ImageBest Available Sportsbook:
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ImageRegulatory Body: TBD
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ImageRemote Registration: No
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ImageLegal Online Sportsbooks: No
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ImageCollege Sports Betting: No
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ImagePolitical or entertainment betting: No
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ImageHigh School Sports Betting: No
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ImageEsports Betting: No
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ImageNFL Draft: No
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ImageRemote Registration: No
Timeline of Betting Legislation & Latest News
Sports betting isn’t legal in Georgia yet, but as you can see from the timeline below there has been a lot of effort into making it a reality. If more progress is made on legalizing sports betting in Georgia, it will be updated in this space.
Additional Georgia Legal Betting Path Details
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May 14, 2018
U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), paving the way for each state to legalize sports betting.
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March 20, 2023
Amended House Bill 237 (HB 237), which would legalize sports betting in Georgia and allow up to 16 sportsbook licenses in the state, is introduced in the senate.
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March 29, 2023
Door closes on 2023 sports betting legalization after lawmakers don’t pass legalization during the legislative session.
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Jan. 25, 2024
Senate Bill 386 (SB 386), a bill legalizing sports betting in Georgia, is introduced in the senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Economic Development.
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Jan. 30, 2024
SB 386 passes the Economic Development Committee with an 8-2 vote.
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Feb. 1, 2024
SB 386 approved in the Georgia Senate.
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March 29, 2024
Door closes on 2024 sports betting legalization after lawmakers don’t pass legalization during the legislative session.
How to start betting in the state
Unfortunately, sports betting isn’t legal in Georgia. Consider bookmarking this page and checking back here for updates because once sports betting is legalized in Georgia, this section will walk you through how to sign up for a sportsbook and place your first wager. While there are no casinos in Georgia, there are options outside of the state if you’re open to a road trip.
For instance, Cherokee Valley River Casino, in Murphy, NC or Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Gatlinburg, TN. Beau Rivage Resort Casino (Biloxi, MS) is another option less than six hours from Atlanta. If you live close to the Florida-Georgia border, you might be interested in our Florida sports betting information page or our Tennessee and North Carolina pages for those further north in the state.
Home Field Advantage
Georgia and its capital city of Atlanta were the trailblazers of pro sports in the Deep South, complementing a landscape that was (and to some degree, still is) dominated by the juggernaut of SEC football. All of Georgia’s biggest sports teams have their loyalists and have had their moments in the sun, some more than others. And given Atlanta’s position as a corporate hub full of transplants from elsewhere, visiting teams are every bit as likely to see heavy betting action as the players in white jerseys—when legal sports betting becomes a reality in Georgia, of course.
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ImageMLB – Atlanta Braves: The Braves are the team in Georgia, cutting across social lines and college allegiances, from their days as lovable losers on TBS to their current position as a model franchise in Major League Baseball. The numbers are staggering: 23 playoff appearances since 1991, including a run of 14-straight divisional titles between 1991-2005, and six-straight entering the 2024 campaign. Should they have more than two World Series titles? Probably. But the Braves are a testament to consistency, and few betting markets will be as baseball-heavy as Georgia’s whenever that time comes.
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ImageNFL – Atlanta Falcons: Then there are the Falcons, best remembered for blowing the biggest lead in Super Bowl history (28-3, in case you’re living in a cave). The Falcons have had some very good coaches and some great players, but have rarely been able to put it all together. The current stretch of six-straight losing seasons is the franchise’s worst run since the late 1980s. But there remain loads of skill players on the roster, and there’s lots of optimism in Atlanta thanks to new QB Kirk Cousins.
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ImageNBA – Atlanta Hawks: Almost always good, but rarely great: that’s the rub on the Atlanta Hawks, who have made the NBA playoffs 13 of the last 16 years and 36 times total, but haven’t reached the Finals since their days in St. Louis. While the current Hawks have been through some coaching upheaval in recent years, they do have a budding star in guard Trae Young and play a fun brand of basketball. The 82-game NBA season offers lots of betting opportunities for fans.
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ImageNCAA – Georgia Bulldogs: When it comes to fan passion in Georgia, the Bulldogs may rule them all. Long seen as a sleeping giant in college football, Georgia was awakened by coach Kirby Smart, and the results have been astounding—six seasons with at least 11 wins, eight bowl victories, three appearances in the national championship game, and two national titles. All that success and fervor will certainly be reflected in sports betting activity when the state of Georgia eventually makes legal wagering a reality.
USA Betting News
The Georgia Council on Problem Gambling (GCPG) (https://www.georgiagamblinghelp.org/) invites those seeking more information on gambling addiction or scheduling a meeting with a gambling counselor to leave a message at 404-985-6785 or an email ([email protected]). For more immediate help via telephone, those in need can call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER. The GCPG also offers a 20-question survey, which it says indicates a gambling problem or addiction if you answer “yes” to 7 or more questions.