Lawmakers Turn to Georgia Online Sports Betting to Close Budget Deficit
Lawmakers are pushing for Georgia online sports betting this year. Their goal is to close the state’s budget deficit. Senate Special Judiciary Committee voted to amend the House Bill 903 Friday.
The bill would allow FanDuel and DraftKings to do business in the state. The state lottery will supervise their online sportsbooks in Georgia. The future of the law will now be in the hands of the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.
Republican Senator Burt Jones supports the idea. He said that legalizing online sports betting will be an extra $60 million to the state’s budget. Also, he said that the additional revenuer could be higher.
Georgia Online Sports Betting
At present, lottery revenue goes to the Hope Scholarship program. According to pay per head sources, the program helps gifted students get a college degree. Also, the fund subsidizes preschools in the state.
Once the state legalizes sports betting, the additional revenue will go to education programs of the state. Also, Georgia wants to decrease the $2.6 billion budget deficit. According to bookie pay per head providers, the gap is the smallest in the nation.
Jones warned that the education programs could get their funding from the lottery. However, the additional revenue will make the initiatives more feasible.
Jones added that the state doesn’t need to change its constitution to allow sports betting. Residents already allowed gambling in the state when they voted in favor of the lottery. The Senator said that online gambling would be an extension of the lottery.
Sports betting is a popular activity across the US. At present, around 20 states have legal sports betting. Also, Georgia needs a new revenue source. Sports wagering can be that source.
Before you learn how to be a bookie in Georgia, you should take note that legalizing the sports betting might take a long time to become legal in the state. It requires a referendum vote after getting two-thirds from the House and Senate.
