Senate approves bill that would ask Georgia voters to add sports betting to constitution

ATLANTA — The state Senate has approved a measure that would ask Georgia voters if they wanted to add sports gambling as a constitutional amendment.

A similar bill is struggling through the House. That one wouldn’t need an amendment but it’s hitting all kinds of roadblocks.

“It’s been fun. It’s been at least 10 to 15 years that we’ve been talking about this,” Savannah Republican Ron Stephens told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot. “Every now and then, we’ve got to make a decision.”

His latest attempt to get a kind of gambling passed hit another roadblock in a House committee Tuesday morning.

He wants to legalize fantasy sports gaming and put it under the auspices of the Georgia Lottery.

It’s not quite direct sports betting, but it’s close enough to draw the ire of groups that oppose legalized gambling.

“It’s just not worth it. It’s not worth it in our opinion,” said Mack Parnell with the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

Parnell believes fantasy sports gambling is essentially the same thing as sports betting.

“We’re just against the expansion of gambling here in the state of Georgia,” Parnell told Elliot.

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Stephens insists this isn’t the same as betting on sports. A bill to do that worked its way through the Senate.

Stephens said it’s paying to play fantasy sports with a payout.

He said his bill would have safeguards against underage players, gambling addictions and other issues., and money would go directly to the Georgia Lottery.

So he can’t see how anyone can oppose it.

“You’ve got to be a blooming idiot. I mean, it’s one of those things, if it’s going on today, legally going on today, then what in the world is the problem putting it under the lottery board? Let them oversee it,” Stephens said.

That committee will meet again this week. Stephens is hoping it will pass before Crossover Day on Thursday.

That Senate bill with the amendment will now head over to the House.

The Sport Betting Alliance sent a statement to Channel 2 Action News after the vote.

“The overwhelming passage of SR 579 is another step forward in bringing safe, legal sports betting revenue to Georgia Pre-K students. We applaud the Senate’s leadership and look forward to continue working with legislators in the House and other stakeholders to ensure Georgians have a say in securing the future of Georgia Pre-K. Just as voters ensured the best and brightest remained in Georgia through Lottery-funded HOPE scholarship, we are confident they will do the same for our youngest learners,” the SBA said in a statement.

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