ATLANTA – A Georgia Senate committee approved a sports betting bill late Monday with little discussion.
The Senate Economic Development Committee passed the legislation 8-1 and sent it on to the Rules Committee to schedule a vote of the full Senate.
Senate Bill 57 would allow sports betting both online and in person at kiosks that could be placed inside a variety of businesses, including sports venues. Sports betting would be overseen by the Georgia Lottery Corp.
“Sports betting is deemed a lottery game,” said Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, the bill’s chief sponsor.
For that reason, Senate Bill 57 contemplates legalizing sports betting in Georgia without the need for a constitutional amendment. It essentially would be added to the games already authorized since Georgia voters approved the creation of a lottery in 1992.
The legislation’s backers are relying on a recent legal opinion from former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton that a constitutional change isn’t necessary to legalize sports betting. As a result, the bill would require only a simple majority in the state House and Senate to pass. Constitutional amendments are a steeper climb, requiring two-thirds majorities.
Not everyone in the General Assembly agrees with Melton’s analysis. A second measure now before the state Senate calls for a constitutional amendment to allow sports betting. If it gets through the legislature, it would go to Georgia voters in a statewide referendum next year.
The…
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