Sports Betting Bill Rejected in Georgia Again
For the second time, senators in the state of Georgia have shown that it is not ready for sports betting after turning down a proposed amendment that would have allowed voters their say on whether this should be legalized.
Put forward by Senator Bill Cowsert, it was estimated that the passing of a sports betting bill would generate in the region of $50 million per year for the state.
In order to pass, the resolution would have needed a two-thirds majority - as it is, the results of this vote stood at 30-26.
Senators Still No Closer to Seeing Benefits
With this being the second time such a proposal has been rejected, it shows that the Senate in Georgia is seemingly still resistant towards sports betting.
While in other states, the benefits of legalizing sports betting (and even online sports betting, with the latter, at this stage, appearing to be a long way off) have been considered from an economic standpoint, it appears that the Senate is either uninterested in this, or perhaps acting from their own agenda.
Of course, responsible gambling fears are likely to be one concern in addition to policing underage gambling. However, the amount of illegal betting that currently takes place in unregulated states is still considerable - and becoming harder to police.
Allowing the people to vote on this instead of politicians could provide a much fairer and more representative voice.
When you deal with this significant of a policy issue, a cultural issue, it’s only fair to let the people of Georgia decide if they want it or not.
Following the results of the vote, the Senator’s comments seemed almost restrained as he revealed: “I think it shows that the Georgia legislature is not ready for sports betting this year. That’s the second bill that’s come up. One had a constitutional amendment. One did not. Neither had adequate votes to pass.”
Will a Bill Ever Pass in Georgia?
Despite many states across the US allowing not just sports betting and casinos, but also online gambling in its entirety, it could well be the case that there may be one or two states where this continues to remain illegal.
As a result, Georgia could be one of these, especially if, from a cultural standpoint at least, one of the major aims of the Senate is to help continue to protect the historical integrity of the state.
It could be construed that by allowing sports betting, it may dilute this somewhat and a number of the values on which the state has built itself.
Should its economic situation become dire from an infrastructure perspective, it may be forced to ignore such a large potential source of revenue at its fingertips. For now, it seems that Georgia betting enthusiasts will have to wait at least a while longer.
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