(The Center Square) – A resolution that would allow Georgia voters to decide on legalized online sports betting failed to make it to the House floor on Thursday, which kills the bill for the 2025 legislative session.
House Resolution 450, sponsored by Rep. Marcus Wiedower, R-Watkinsville, would have given voters the chance to decide on the November 2026 ballot. House Bill 686 would set up the tax structure. Sports betting would be taxed at 24%, with proceeds going to the Georgia Lottery to support universal Pre-K.
“I appreciate all of my colleagues who added their names to this legislation and all of the Georgians who reached out to their legislators and encouraged them to legalize sports betting,” said Rep. Marcus Wiedower, the bill’s sponsor., in a quote provided to The Center Square by the Sports Betting Alliance. “We get a little closer every year, and I feel confident we’ll get this across the line to join the 39 other states that have already taken this step.
“I believe strongly – and Georgians by wide margins agree with me – that this change will not only bring in much needed revenue to educate our youngest learners but also provide consumer protections that don’t exist in today’s black market.”
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Kim Jarrett | The Center Square
Kim Jarrett's career spans over 30 years with stops in radio, print and television. She has won awards from both the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
