Proponents of sports gambling in Georgia were dealt a blow when the state Senate voted down a plan that would have legalized betting on sporting events days after shutting its door on wagering on horse races.

A constitutional amendment that would have allowed voters to determine whether to legalize sports gambling was rejected by the state Senate on Monday and a bill that would have done so without such an amendment was never considered by the state House.

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The bills’ failure to pass It’s unlikely that any sports gambling legislation will pass this year because Monday is the deadline for bills to pass out of their original chamber and “cross over” to a new house.

Every year, some Georgia lawmakers try to legalize more gambling, but since voters approved a state lottery in 1992, none of the attempts have been successful. Once Republican Governor Brian Kemp expressed his willingness to approve a law, it seemed as though momentum was growing behind this year’s campaign. But attempts to put together a successful alliance fell short in both houses.

Although only a few jurisdictions permit in-person gambling, 34 states currently have legalized sports betting.

Senate Resolution 140 received a 30-26 vote in favor, falling short of the 38 votes needed for a two-thirds majority.

At Georgia State Capitol — PTL! The sports betting constitutional amendment failed in the Senate. It did not get the 2/3 majority vote to pass. Thank you for your prayers and reaching out to your Senator. 👍 pic.twitter.com/lwgrKfaJjV

— Michael R. Griffin (@mikegriffinsr) March 6, 2023

According to the Associated Press, lawmakers voted against Senate Bill 57 by a margin of 37 to 19. The state lottery would have had to set up sports betting and betting on horse races if the bill had passed.

Instead of the betting pool, the track itself or another business would have paid out winnings at the track. By a vote of 37 to 19, the bill was unsuccessful. Both pari-mutuel betting and casinos are expressly forbidden under the constitution of Georgia.

Major Setback for Sports Betting Expansion in the US 

Every year, a number of people in the Georgia legislature try to make gambling more available. But, since the citizens of the state voted in favor of establishing a lottery in 1992, their efforts have never resulted in anything useful. Despite this, there is a growing consensus that the state of Georgia will, at some point in the future, legalize gambling on sporting events in some manner.

Gambling that is already going place illegally might potentially bring in additional cash for the state, according to proponents of the measure. Senator Brandon Beach has said that there is a market that is not subject to any regulations, which he plans to eliminate through the process of legalization.

Senator Billy Hickman, who both breeds and competes with horses, is the driving force behind this legislation. Because it would be beneficial to both farmers and horse breeders, he believed that horse racing would have a bigger influence on the economy than other forms of sports gambling.

NOW: A sports betting bill has failed in the Georgia Senate. It included legalizing horse racing. @FOX5Atlanta #gapol pic.twitter.com/fX66D4FV8j

— Claire Simms (@Claire_FOX5) March 2, 2023

“SB57 helps to create jobs. When people just place bets on sporting events using their smartphones, he claimed, “no employment are generated.”

In addition to this, he referred to research that was carried out by Georgia Southern University the previous year and concluded that legalizing sports betting in the state might contribute $1.1 billion a year to the economy of the state and generate more than 8,500 employment.

The measure to legalize sports betting in the House of Representatives has received support from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as well as from Atlanta’s professional sports franchises.

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