Ga Casino Bill 2021
(2021) ᐉ As promised, a Georgia legislator filed a bill this month at the Capitol in Atlanta to allow sports betting in the Peach State. Georgia legislators will consider House Bill 677 proposing a constitutional amendment to allow six casinos, including two in Atlanta. If passed, lawmakers would enact 'enabling' legislation in 2017. Governor Nathan Deal (l.) wants a much higher tax rate. Meanwhile, the Georgia Horse Race Coalition is ready to move on a mixed-used horse racetrack if parimutuel wagering legislation.
- Ga Casino Bill 2021 Date
- Ga Casino Bill 2021 Dates
- Ga Casino Bill 2021 Calendar
- Ga Casino Bill 2021 Schedule
2021 Sports Betting Hopes in Georgia January 15, 2021 The Georgia legislative session began Jan. 11 with expectation of another sports betting bill. Last year a bill came close to passing but in the end, it was dropped from the final budget plans. During this time, each bill chose to latch onto bills that had crossed over to be heard once the session reopened. GA SB 403 became GA HB 903 and GA HR 378 became GA SR 841. Hearings reconvened on June 15 until June 26 to tie up the loose ends of the 2020 session. It was during this time that these sports betting bills would be able to be heard.
- Ron Stephens, R-Savannah filed House Resolution 30 would give Georgia residents the power to vote on whether casinos will be allowed in the state.
- Georgia lawmakers have currently proposed bills legalizing sports betting, casinos, and Horse racing.
- Sen. Brandon Beach proposed SB 30 which would create a Georgia Horse Racing Commission that would regulate legal pari-mutuel horse racing in the state.
ATLANTA – New ways to gamble could be on the horizon in Georgia as both the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate have proposed bills that would bring casinos and racetracks to the Peach State.
This isn’t the first-time either legislative chamber has pushed some forms of legal gambling in Georgia this year as Ron Stephens, R-Savannah has already proposed HB 86 in mid-January would legalize online/mobile sports betting.
Sports betting does have an easier path to legalization in Georgia than horse racing or casinos because it doesn’t require a constitutional amendment.
House Resolution 30 Would Allow Casinos In Georgia
Stephens, R-Savannah has been busy during the legislative sessions as he also introduced House Resolution 30 to legislation in a move that would give Georgia voters a say in whether casinos should be allowed to operate in the state on the upcoming ballot.
The bill also featured bipartisan support as four of the five co-authors of the bill are in the Democratic Party.
Co-Authors of HR 30
- (R-32) Alan Powell
- (D-135) Calvin Smyre
- (D-168) Al Williams
- (D-57) Stacey Evans
- (D-88) Billy Mitchell
HR 30 would be Georgia’s first step in allowing casinos to operate in the state and would help the Peach State government make up for any revenue lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Only destination resort facilities in Georgia are going to be able to receive licenses under the current resolution but casinos would be brought to Georgia.
However, this legislation can’t just pass the Senate and House to be made law, it must be approved by citizens of Georgia with a majority vote in the election.
SB 30 and Horse Racing In Georgia
Sen. Brandon Beach proposed SB 30 which would create the Georgia Horse Racing Commission and allow for the state to award limited licenses for racetracks.
This bill is named with the Rural Georgia Jobs Growth Act that was proposed by Beach in the 2019-2020 legislative session. This bill is bipartisan too, with Democratic Senator Ed Harbison co-sponsoring this bill.
SB 30 would allow a full range of horse betting in Georgia while also making the state some money as the price tag for the 10-year licenses is listed at $50 million with renewals costing $250 million. What could cause a bit of a stumbling block for SB 30 is that if any of the racetracks are within 50 miles of an airport, they must invest $250 million per facility and if outside of those 50 miles the initial investment drops to $125 million.
Those high prices will certainly limit the companies that are looking to buy in but for SB 30 to become law it would also have to pass with a majority vote by Georgia residents.
For Georgia residents, patience is probably the approach to take with this legislation as sooner rather than later the Peach State will have to cave to the demands of legalizing gambling.
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.
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.
Ga Casino Bill 2021 Date
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.
Ga Casino Bill 2021 Dates
“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.
Ga Casino Bill 2021 Calendar
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.