Georgia state Rep. Ron Stephens has filed legislation to "legalize online sports betting" in the state, aiming to "expand gambling without the constitutional amendment that’s usually required," according to Maya Prabhu of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The bill, filed Thursday, "would authorize the Georgia Lottery to manage an online sports wagering system." Sports betting companies "would pay a 16% tax on their income," with all the revenue "going to the HOPE scholarship." The legislation is backed by the Georgia Professional Sports Integrity Alliance, a coalition of four professional Atlanta sports franchises -- the Braves, Falcons, Hawks and Atlanta United. Braves President & CEO Derek Schiller said that this was the "first policy issue that brought all four franchises together when the alliance was formed" in '19. Stephens said that he also plans to file legislation in the next few weeks that "would ask voters whether they want to allow casinos and horse racing in the state as well" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/16).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL's Bill King cites a recent report by industry research firm Gambling Compliance, which predicted three to 11 states "will legalize sports betting this year, pegging Kansas, Massachusetts and Ohio as most likely, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina and Wyoming also possible." All are "driven to collect a piece of the $7 billion to $10 billion in annual gross revenue that the firm predicts U.S. sportsbooks will generate by 2025" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/18 issue).
