Ga Casino Bill
Online sports betting bills continue to flood in for the United States. We already told you about bills in Mississippi, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Now, there are bills filed in Georgia and Florida. Also, the governors of Arizona and Kentucky both support legalizing sports betting.
Florida Bill Pre-Filed for Sports Betting
The Florida legislative session will not begin until March, but one matter to be considered will be sports betting. State Senator Jeff Brandes filed SB 392 in late December. The bill seeks to legalize sports betting in Florida. If legalized, the Florida Lottery will regulate the activity, meaning that tax revenue would go towards education.
The bill would prohibit bets from athletes, coaches, referees, or any person working for an athletic governing body. However, it is unclear whether this bill will gain any traction. Brandes tried to get a similar bill passed in 2020, but he did not include the Seminole Tribe. Currently, the Seminoles are the only group allowed to offer Class III gambling in the state. If this bill fails to involve the Seminole Tribe, it will likely suffer a similar fate.
GA casino gambling bill dead News. Posted: Mar 2, 2017 / 12:11 PM EST / Updated: Mar 2, 2017 / 12:11 PM EST. ATLANTA (AP) – The sponsor of legislation to allow casino gambling in. ATLANTA - A proposal asking Georgia voters whether to legalize casinos, horse racing and sports betting in the Peach State is back on the table in the General Assembly. The House Regulated Industries Committee approved a resolution Monday calling for a statewide referendum on all three forms of legalized gambling.
Georgia Files Sports Betting Bill
Georgia is another state considering online sports betting in 2021. HB 86 was filed earlier this month and has bi-partisan support in the legislature. Known as the Georgia Lottery Mobile Sports Wagering Integrity Act, the bill would legalize online sports betting. Companies will be taxed 16% of gross revenue with proceeds going to the HOPE scholarship.
Two bills have been put forward in Georgia that could pave the way for casinos and racing in the state. They join a bill on sports betting. #US#Casinos#SportsBettinghttps://t.co/BLbWf2EVJU
— Focus Gaming News (@FocusGamingNews) January 28, 2021
Four pro sports teams currently support the bill. The bill is estimated to bring somewhere around $100 million in revenue to the state. Since the bill has bipartisan support and is supported by the four major sports teams in the state, many figure that this bill is close to a slam dunk in 2021.
Arizona and Kentucky Governors Support Sports Betting
The governors of both Kentucky and Arizona have recently shown support for legalizing sports betting in their respected states. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has been proactive in his quest to legalize sports betting.
According to a report from KAWC News, Gov. Ducey has negotiated a compact with Arizona tribes to allow sports betting. Arizona tribes are the only groups allowed to offer gambling in the state at the moment.
According to Ducey, “Our goal is to bring Arizona gaming into the 21st century. A lot has changed since the first compacts were signed, back when cell phones weren’t the thing they are now. The world looks a lot different today and our proposal is intended to reflect the way people live their lives today.”
Imagine what Kentucky could pull in for college basketball if sports betting was legal. Knowing I’m clipping in people that want it, just feel the need to tag. @GovAndyBeshear@repkoenighttps://t.co/roxHciKVHL
— Marty Sumler (@mate0sal) January 26, 2021
Ga Casino Bill Pass
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is a known advocate of casino gambling and sports betting. He appeared on television recently trying to advocate for sports betting.
According to Beshear, “I believe the time was right years and years ago when virtually every state around us, all Republican states, already have it. The fact we haven’t done it at this point is not only silly but puts us at a competitive disadvantage.”
This rhetoric would slap in the face of recent statements regarding PokerStars. After a $1.3 billion lawsuit was reinstated against PokerStars, Beshear stated that the money would never be enough to make up for the harm caused to KY families.
So we are supposed to believe that sports betting will not harm families but online poker will? This is a very convenient take. Based on past history, it is unlikely that a Kentucky bill will gain much traction. A measure to legalize sports betting was filed in 2020 but failed to advance out of committee. Unless something drastically changes this year, we can expect the same for any new legislation involving sports betting in Kentucky.
A second gambling expansion bill was filed in Georgia Tuesday as Rep. Ron Stephens filed HR 30, which would allow citizens to vote on whether casino gambling is legal.
It’s the second gambling bill that Stephens has sponsored after having his name attached to an online sports betting bill that was filed earlier this month at the start of the legislative session. According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Stephens said he plans to file a third piece of legislation that would legalize horse racing.
Wild Bill's Casino
If passed, HR 30 would put a question on the ballot in 2022 asking whether voters support bringing casinos to the Peach State. Last December, Stephens told local media that getting expanded gambling passed in 2021 was incredibly likely but did mention that sports betting would be the easiest to pass.
Casino gambling would require an amendment to the state constitution which is why it would require a ballot initiative. With bills that require a constitutional amendment, two-thirds majority is needed in both chambers to get to the governor’s desk. Sports betting, however, could be legalized through the normal legislative process and a simple majority vote.
Like most other states that are looking at expanded gambling, tax revenue is a driving force behind legalization.
“We’re back at trying to backfill the HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K, and the destination resorts, along with the tourism piece, is the way to do it,” Stephens told the AJC.
There was growing support for expanded gambling as the 2020 legislative session started, but the pandemic forced lawmakers to rearrange their legislative priorities. At the start of 2020, the president of the Atlanta Motor Speedway drew up a proposal for a $1 billion casino complex on-site.