If you’re planning on betting sports online in Georgia, it is essential that you first ascertain its legality. Georgia is generally not known for being particularly welcoming of gambling activities and has yet to legalize any form of online gaming; however there may yet be hope as multiple bills were proposed this year that may pave the way for legal sports betting in the near future.
Online gambling may be illegal in Georgia, but that doesn’t stop people from gambling online. Georgia residents frequently access offshore sites which operate outside the country without following state regulations governing them – this poses serious threats for players since such websites often disappear with winnings and are unregulated by government bodies. Luckily there are legitimate casinos which accept players from Georgia.
Casinos that use virtual currencies allow them to accept players from states like Georgia where real money online gambling is prohibited, providing free casino games or rewarding them with “tokens” and sweeps coins that can later be redeemed for cash prizes. They have become especially popular amongst millennials who favor convenience over brick-and-mortar options.
Georgia may have strict gambling laws, yet there is an appetite for legalized gambling in Georgia. Multiple lawmakers are pushing for sports betting during this year’s legislative session and while it seems unlikely that such legislation will pass this year, hope exists for 2024.
State Senator Brandon Beach of Georgia recently introduced legislation that would legalize horse racing and parimutuel betting by amending the Constitution, similar to previous attempts that all met resistance from Republican leadership in Georgia. Should this bill succeed, however, it could open up additional forms of legal gambling in Georgia in the future.
Georgia lawmakers are currently discussing several bills that may eventually lead to legalized online gambling in Georgia, such as SB 386 which would allow sports betting on various online platforms and SR 135 by Rep. Ron Stephens which amends two pieces of existing legislation in order to accommodate sports gambling. These efforts, however, could encounter considerable roadblocks since any change would require amending both Georgia’s Constitution and holding a public referendum vote on their viability.
Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots are two online casinos which use a sweepstakes model to operate legally in states where real money gambling is banned, offering video slots and table games with free or sweepstakes coins that players can earn through activities within the casino or through giveaways on its site, redeemable later for cash prizes. This approach mirrors daily fantasy sports providers that operate legally despite Georgia’s prohibition against gambling.