During a Tuesday meeting of the Georgia House Higher Education Committee, sports betting bill sponsor Sen. Clint Dixon indicated he would be open to potential changes to the bill, including incorporating language from the stalled fantasy sports regulation effort and raising the tax rate from 20% to 25%.
The bill comes over from the Senate, which attached a constitutional amendment that would require the measure to be taken to the voters this fall before it can pass into law.
During the meeting, which was a hearing on SB286 and not a vote, Higher Education Committee Chair Rep. Chuck Martin said there was work to do on the bill and he has plans to hear both the constitutional amendment and the enacting legislation soon. Martin explicitly stated that he had no intention of calling for a vote on either bills in the immediate future.
When speaking about fantasy sports, Dixon noted that DFS+ companies came to the table late as the sports betting bill made its way through the Senate but he was not opposed to including them in the version the committee advances.
Several of the same groups that have spoken on gambling bills across the Georgia legislature this year. The standard group of family foundation and religious organizations voiced their opposition. PrizePicks representatives were also on hand offering support to the bill but requesting amendments that would regulate fantasy sports in the state.
The Wednesday meeting of the Higher Education Committee did not include the constitutional amendment or the enacting legislation. During the Wednesday meeting, Martin did say he expects the committee to meet again on Monday.
