A bill to allow online sports betting in Georgia passed a state Senate committee on Tuesday as lawmakers in the Peach State continue to push for legalization.
The bill was approved 8-2 by the state Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee on Tuesday morning and could be voted on by the full state Senate in the coming week. Senate Bill 386 would legalize sports betting in the state and send taxes and fees levied by the state toward education programs.
The bill faces opposition from certain Republicans who have moral objections to gambling, but it currently has support from some Democrats, according to WXIA.
Nick Fernandez of the Metro Atlanta Chamber praised the bill before the committee, pointing out how the bill works with sports teams to provide sports gambling licenses.
“We believe the license structure that is included in this bill provides both an opportunity for license holders that want to go through an open application, apply for their license that way, or those that would prefer to tether or partner with a team. We believe that also is a win for Georgia,” Fernandez said.
Mike Griffin of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board expressed his opposition to the bill and stressed the downsides of gambling. He also slammed the bill as “state-sponsored predatory gambling.”
“Gambling is basically legalized fraud,” Griffin said. “Because gambling is gambling — that means you can’t win, the industry cannot lose, the players have to lose in order for them to win.”
Griffin also said he does not believe that the legislature is allowed to authorize sports gambling.
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Some lawmakers question whether the Georgia General Assembly has the authority to implement online sports betting, with another measure being offered in the state Senate including a constitutional amendment for voters to decide on sports gambling’s fate in the state.
Other states in the region, including Florida and North Carolina, have recently enacted online sports gambling or are on the verge of doing so. North Carolina is set to launch online sports betting in March.