New language will be reviewed 3 days before closing.
ATLANTA — A Georgia House committee on Monday is scheduled to consider a sports betting bill that could advance ahead of the legislative session scheduled for Thursday.
When the House Higher Education Committee convened, it learned that much of the bill passed by the Senate had been rewritten.
Sports betting is a constitutional amendment and requires two-thirds approval, so there is a major hurdle to overcome. Although it passed in the Senate, the House remains the biggest hurdle.
State Rep. Marcus Wiedauer (R-Watkinsville) put a friendly hand on his colleague's shoulder and told lawmakers that illegal gambling is already happening in Georgia.
“Chairman Washburn (Dale) could be placing bets on his cell phone right now and none of us would know it,” Wiedauer told the committee.
During a late afternoon committee hearing, House members unveiled a rewritten sports betting bill. It still funds the HOPE Scholarship for high school graduates with a B average. However, the new version would reduce the amount guaranteed for preschool and significantly reduce funding for problem gambling programs.
“Thirty-eight states have already done it. We don't want to be last, but this is what the people are asking us to do,” state Rep. Ron Stevens (R-Savannah) told 11Alive last week. Ta.
Stevens has spent years trying to get Georgia to legalize sports betting. But many Democrats want the proceeds to also go toward school lunches and need-based college scholarships. Lawmakers from both parties are wary of legalizing it, fearing it will increase gambling addiction.
But advocates say Georgians are gambling online anyway, even though they don't pay taxes to Georgia.
“For the benefit of Georgians who are participating today, bring it to an arena where it is legal and regulated by the state of Georgia,” Wiedauer urged the committee.
The rewritten bill is a constitutional amendment and would require a two-thirds majority vote in the House of Representatives. The new language will also need another vote in the Senate before the adjournment Thursday.
