Georgia State Representative Matt Hatchett recently resubmitted the HB 910 bill to legalize sports betting, planning to incorporate the industry into the Georgia Lottery regulatory framework. Despite previous setbacks, supporters are still trying to break the political deadlock by 2026. Relevant sports betting legislation case studies can be found on the PASA official website.
Bill Core: 18 Licenses + 25% Tax Rate Clear Rules
The HB 910 bill continues the previous core framework, clearly defining the details of sports betting operations:
Plans to issue 18 sports betting licenses, with the Georgia Lottery obtaining an exclusive license, and an additional 7 licenses awarded through a public process;
Sports betting operators are required to pay an annual license fee of 1.5 million US dollars, and the state government will impose a 25% tax rate on gambling revenue;
10 licenses are specifically allocated to certain institutions, including local sports clubs such as the Atlanta Braves, Falcons, Hawks, as well as Augusta National Golf Club, PGA Tour, and other sports institutions.
These rules aim to balance industry development and public interest, but also cause some controversy due to the targeted nature of license distribution.
Challenges: Political Differences and Lack of Key Support
The bill faces multiple obstacles that make its passage by 2026 unlikely:
The core controversy remains unresolved, with some legislators believing that the legalization of sports betting requires a constitutional amendment, which HB 910 does not include, leading to the bill not advancing out of committee previously;
Key supporters have left, with the former core promoter of sports betting and chairman of the House Gambling Study Committee, Marcus Widower, resigning in October 2025, and no strong successor has yet emerged;
Lack of industry confidence, affected by political resistance, most industry insiders are pessimistic about the bill's chances of passing this year, believing it difficult to break through under political headwinds.
The Only Positive: Recognized Potential Value in Tourism
Despite the overall bleak outlook, a report from the Senate Tourism Committee brings a glimmer of hope to the bill. The committee suggests that legalizing sports betting could help attract more major sports events to Georgia, injecting vitality into the tourism economy.
Committee Chairman Drew Eckles stated that this suggestion, along with other tourism promotion measures, is not binding but reflects some legislators' recognition of the economic value of sports betting. However, he also admitted that there is great uncertainty whether these suggestions can be implemented, making it difficult to change the difficult situation of the bill based solely on this.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
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