Those hoping for the legalization of sports betting in Georgia will have to wait a bit longer. On March 6th, lawmakers didn’t pass House Resolution 450 and House Bill 686, which were set to legalize Georgia sports betting.
The failure to pass this bill and amendment is attributed to a couple of factors. One of the main issues was that the bills were proposed too late. With this state’s legislature having not passed these bills, legal Georgia sports betting is still a pipe dream, as it remains as one of the 11 states in the US that prohibit sports betting.
House Bill 686 was introduced by Representative Marcus Wiedower. If passed, this bill would see the issuance of up to 16 sports betting licenses to sportsbook operators in Georgia.
Issuing licenses is one of the first steps most states take when legalizing sports betting. Requiring licensure gives states more control to regulate their sports betting industries. While the fees required to get a license often become a valuable revenue source for those states.
On top of income from licensing fees, HB 686 would implement a state tax for sports betting that would be up to 24% from the initially proposed 20%.
Alongside HB 686, lawmakers proposed House Resolution 450. This was a constitutional amendment that would invite a public vote on making sports betting legal in Georgia.
Why did Georgia’s House of Representatives not pass the bills to legalize sports betting?
It’s safe to say that Georgia sports betting fans had high hopes for the bills to pass. So, what exactly happened?
Analysts point out that the bill and amendment were introduced to the House of Representatives a little too late, so there wasn’t time to get enough support. This was likely a critical reason behind the failure of both bills.
Alpharetta’s representative and the House Higher Education Committee Chairman, Chuck Martin, agreed that the bills were proposed late, stating: “It came in late and I guess people just weren’t there yet.”
Another significant reason the supporting bill and amendment weren’t passed is that the representatives weren’t on the same page.
The Democrats support legalizing Georgia sports betting sites, stating that the tax revenue generated from the sports betting would be used in pre-kindergarten and HOPE scholarship funding.
In fact, sources mention that the 24% tax revenue from sports betting would bring $40 million annually, particularly for the pre-K funding. Part of the tax revenue was proposed to also implement tools and programs to educate and support Georgia residents when it comes to gambling addiction.
Rep. Marcus Wiedower said in a statement that “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.”
As of 2025, 39 US states have legalized sports betting. While every state handled the legalization process slightly differently, the promises of higher tax revenue have materialized. According to a report by the Tax Foundation, US states collected more than 1.8 billion dollars in tax revenue from sports betting in 2023 alone.
However, some Republican representatives argue that legalizing sports betting in this state would begin a gambling addiction epidemic.
If the bill and amendment were passed, Georgia residents would be able to vote on whether or not to legalize sports betting in the state in 2026.
But, with the chance to make Georgia sports betting legal made impossible in 2025, the next opportunity to do so would be the next House of Representatives session in 2026.
There’s still hope that there might be a referendum, allowing the residents of Georgia to head to the ballots next year to vote to make sports betting legal. In the meantime, Georgia sports betting fans can only cross their fingers and wait.
