The two-year legislative cycle of the Georgia General Assembly is providing lawmakers in the state with the opportunity to reconsider a bill that aims to legalize sports betting.
Rep. Matt Hatchett introduced House Bill 910 in April 2025. HB 910 failed to receive proper consideration, resulting in its carryover into 2026.
Potential licensing framework in Georgia
HB 910 calls for online sports betting to be regulated by the Georgia Lottery Corporation, with license application and renewal fees at a high cost for potential operators. Under Hatchett’s measure, applicants for a Type 1 sports betting license are required to pay a $100,000, nonrefundable fee. If awarded a Type 1 license, operators must pay an annual $1.5 million licensing fee. Entities that are eligible for Type 1 sports betting licenses in Georgia include pro sports teams, the PGA Tour, a golf course that has hosted tournaments in the state for at least 30 years, the Georgia Lottery, a business approved by the National Steeplechase Association and stock car racetracks. Augusta National Golf Course and the Atlanta Motor Speedway are eligible for the licenses.
Under HB 910, the Georgia Lottery can issue up to 18 Type 1 licenses. Licenses that are not tied to any of the entities will be awarded to select online sports wagering providers.
The measure also places a 25% tax rate on adjusted gross from wagering.
No constitutional amendment for HB 910
Hatchett’s measure takes a different approach compared to previous efforts to bring online sports betting to Georgia. HB 910 does not mandate a constitutional amendment to authorize the vertical, which would require Georgians to vote on the issue in November.
Last February, a group of Republican senators introduced a measure that proposed amending the Georgia constitution to expand gaming in the state to include retail casinos, iGaming and online sports betting. Senate Resolution 131, which placed a 20% tax rate on wagering revenue, proposed a voter referendum, allowing state voters to decide the fate of gaming expansion. SR 131 received its first reading but failed to garner support.
Rep. Marcus Wiedower also introduced measures that would have put online sports wagering to a voter referendum. His measures, House Bill 686 and House Resolution 450, proposed a 24% tax rate on sports betting revenue with annual licensing fees set at $1.5 million. The bills would have made up to 16 sports betting licenses available, with licenses also awarded to pro sports teams, the PGA Tour, golf courses and racetracks.
The two pieces of legislation were both approved by the House Committee on Higher Education but failed to reach the full House chamber for consideration and a vote.
Georgia committee recommends sports betting
Last month, the Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the No. 1 State for Tourism made a suggestion to authorize online sports betting to unlock new revenue-generating opportunities for the Peach State. The committee suggested using revenue from gaming to attract major events to Georgia, including sporting events and concerts. The major events would increase visitor spending, which reached roughly $42.2 billion in 2024.
The committee noted North Carolina’s use of gaming revenue to attract major events.
