JUMP TO:
- Is sports betting legal in Georgia?
- Recent legislative efforts and proposals
- What needs to happen for legalization
- Potential online sportsbooks in Georgia
- Popular Georgia teams that could influence betting
- Georgia betting legalization efforts timeline
DISCLAIMER: Sports betting is not yet legal in Georgia. This article is intended for informational purposes only and will be updated as new legislation, ballot measures or court rulings develop. Until legalization is finalized and regulated operators launch, residents in Georgia cannot legally place sports bets.
Sports betting has been legalized in some capacity in most of the United States, but the single-game betting ban remains in place in Georgia. State lawmakers have made efforts for years to end the gambling prohibition, but as of 2025, only DFS apps and social casino sites are available to Georgians.
Recent efforts in 2024 hinted at momentum in gaining legalized online betting, but they ultimately stalled through at least the end of this year.
On the bright side for betting advocates, a renewed legislative push by the Georgia's House of Representatives could lead to clear directives for the state's sports betting future as soon as December 2025.
Of course, if the Peach State eventually approves sports betting, it will likely become one of the power player states of the U.S. Sports wagering landscape. Football remains as popular in Georgia as anywhere in the country, and the state has multiple popular NCAA teams while Atlanta has pro teams in nearly every major league.
Read on for more about the potential for sports betting legalization in the state, a brief timeline of recent ballot initiatives, which sportsbooks will likely come to Georgia if the betting ban is lifted, and more.
Is sports betting legal in Georgia?
No, sports betting has not yet been legalized in Georgia. As of 2025, sports fans can only play DFS and social casino games if they wish to get some action on sporting events.
Betting on single-game sports events remains banned in the Peach State, made even more difficult by the fact that gambling is prohibited in the state's constitution. As such, the state does not have any active casinos with which future sportsbooks can partner.
However, two house legislation orders have provided the framework for a potential activation of betting in the coming years.
Recent legislative efforts and proposals
Legislative efforts to legalize sports betting in Georgia have been quite tricky. Georgia's constitution prohibits gambling, so the process has been much more difficult than in other states where lawmakers simply had to pass a bill.
Legislators have also squabbled about the number of licenses that would be granted, how the tax revenue from betting would be allocated, and what percentage the tax rate would be.
However, House Bill 686 and House Resolution 450, the March 2025 legal actions that moved the campaign forward for sports betting legalization, might have reignited the possibility of Georgia sports betting to become reality in the next few years.
The Georgia House Study Committee is scheduled to make its recommendations on the future of gaming in the state on December 1, 2025.
As of 2025, proposals state 16 sports betting licenses will be granted, the tax rate will be 24 percent, and the tax revenue will fund pre-K programs and HOPE scholarships, with 15 percent dedicated to problem gambling initiatives.
Previous bills in 2022, with members of the House disputing the constitutional legality of sports betting, arguing over tax rates, and squabbling over whether legalization efforts should go through the existing state lottery or through a ballot question.
Efforts were similarly fruitless in 2021, when legislation fell short in the last weeks of the session.
Despite the difficult path to legalization, sportsbooks remain optimistic that betting will be green-lit in Georgia soon. Professional sports teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Hawks and Braves, among others, have also supported the idea of legalization, which has helped push the discussion into the forefront of the political docket.
MORE: Bonus bets, explained
What needs to happen for legalization
A House Study Committee on Gaming was created in 2025 to focus on making sports betting legal in the near future. The committee will provide recommendations by Dec. 1, 2025, with hopes of helping a bill pass legislation in 2026.
The next order of business is a 2026 ballot measure, which will need legislative approval through two-thirds support from the Georgia House. The bill has been made into a constitutional amendment*, which will need to be passed into law by the Senate and voters.
If the constitutional amendment passes on a November 2026 ballot, regulated sports betting would likely launch in Georgia in 2027. The Georgia Lottery Corporation would oversee all sports betting.
* Because gambling is prohibited in Georgia's constitution, a constitutional amendment was required. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds legislative approval and a successful voter referendum.
Potential online sportsbooks in Georgia
While sports betting has not yet been legalized by the Peach State, it's easy to surmise which sportsbooks will be Georgia-bound when it gets green-lit.
Here are some of the sportsbooks expected to operate in Georgia once the state lifts the sports betting ban:
Popular Georgia sports teams that could influence betting
Legalizing sports betting in Georgia may require operators to partner with local organizations or pro sports leagues that have teams in the Peach State.
Here's who would be possible targets for agreements by any sportsbooks looking to set up shop in Georgia:
- NFL betting: Atlanta Falcons
- NBA: Atlanta Hawks
- MLB: Atlanta Braves
- NHL: awaiting expansion bid
- WNBA: Atlanta Dream
- MLS: Atlanta United FC
- NCAA: Georgia Bulldogs CFB betting, Georgia Southern Eagles, Georgia State Panthers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia sports betting legalization efforts: A recent timeline
Here's a quick overview of the sports betting legislative efforts and proposals in Georgia:
December 1, 2025*: Expected date of Georgia House Study Committee's recommendations for the next legislative steps on sports betting, which could bring the debate closer to a constitutional amendment vote in November 2026 and addition to state law sometime afterward.
March 2025: House Bill 686 and House Resolution 450 restart the conversation around sports betting, but efforts for the year's legislature do not allow efforts to move forward for passing in 2025.
March 2024: SB 386 and SR 579 failed to pass through the House Rules Committee. This meant that sports betting legalization efforts were done for the year and would have to be re-initiated in 2025.
February 2024: SR579 was passed in the Georgia Senate. The bill was one of a few options in the Georgia state government that would have brought a constitutional amendment to voters in 2024 to legalize sports betting.
SR538, a Georgia senate resolution, also passed in the state government as a potential constitutional amendment in late February 2024. SR538 aimed to legalize sports betting and retail casinos in Georgia.
January 2024: SB386 was filed and then passed in the State Senate with an amendment. The amendment changed the bill to require a constitutional amendment to become law in Georgia.
SB386 moved to the State House, where it did not receive the necessary two-thirds support to move to Governor Brian Kemp's desk. (If a bill has landed on Kemp's desk and got approved by him, the citizens of Georgia would then have voted in November to decide if the state decides when and how to start sports betting).