HB910: HB910 Georgia Lottery Game of Sports Betting Act; enact

Georgia currently does not have a legal framework for sports betting. This bill would create one by adding a new article to the state lottery law, making the Georgia Lottery Corporation the regulator and 'master' licensee for online sports betting statewide. It sets up multiple license types (Type 1 licensees tied to pro sports teams, golf and racing entities, and the lottery itself; online sports betting services providers; and equipment suppliers), caps Type 1 licenses at 18, and requires licensing fees ranging from $2,000 to $1.5 million depending on license type. The bill sets betting rules: bettors must be 21 or older and physically in Georgia, licensees must verify identities and block minors, and problem-gambling resources must be provided. It imposes a 25% annual privilege tax (a tax on the right to operate) on adjusted gross betting income, creates misdemeanor and civil penalties for violations like underage betting or using inside information, and exempts sports wagers from state sales tax. It would take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature, though the Lottery Corporation cannot issue licenses before September 1, 2025, and licensed betting must begin by January 31, 2026.

• Creates a new legal framework letting the Georgia Lottery Corporation license, regulate, and tax online sports betting statewide.
• Caps the number of primary ('Type 1') betting licenses at 18, reserving specific slots for professional sports teams, golf and racing organizations, and the lottery itself.
• Imposes a 25% annual privilege tax (a tax on the right to operate) on licensees' adjusted gross betting income, collected monthly.
• Sets licensing fees, ranging from a $2,000 application fee for equipment suppliers up to a $1.5 million annual fee for major sports betting licensees.
• Makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to let a minor bet, target minors in ads, or accept bets from people barred from wagering, with escalating fines and jail time for repeat offenses.
• Requires licensees to verify bettor identity and location, offer self-imposed betting limits, and fund problem-gambling assistance programs.

Georgians who want to place sports bets, the Georgia Lottery Corporation as regulator, professional sports teams and golf and racing organizations eligible for licenses, betting technology companies and suppliers, college athletes and staff with inside information, and people struggling with gambling addiction who would gain access to new support resources.

If enacted, Georgians 21 and older could legally place sports bets online for the first time, with state oversight, age and location verification, and addiction resources built in. The state would collect a 25% tax on betting revenue, and violations like underage betting or insider tips would carry real fines and possible jail time.

• Part I (Section 1-1) revises the lottery law's definitions to fold 'online sports betting' into the meaning of a lottery game regulated by the corporation.
• Part II creates a new Article 4 (Code Sections 50-27-120 through 50-27-197) titled the 'Georgia Lottery Game of Sports Betting Act,' covering licensing, betting rules, taxes, and penalties.
• Section 50-27-133 limits the state to 18 Type 1 sports betting licenses, with 5 reserved for pro sports teams and others for golf, NASCAR, and steeplechase entities.
• Section 50-27-150 sets a 25% annual privilege tax on adjusted gross betting income, paid monthly to the corporation and used for constitutionally authorized purposes.
• Section 50-27-160 through 50-27-162 bar minors, insiders, and people with conflicts of interest from betting or being served, with misdemeanor penalties and fines from $500 to $25,000 for violations.
• Section 50-27-171 requires the corporation to fund problem-gambling assistance programs and licensees to let bettors set their own deposit and wagering limits.
• Part III (Sections 3-1 through 3-3) amends Georgia's gambling code (O.C.G.A. Title 16) to exclude licensed sports betting payments from the definition of an illegal 'bet.'
• Part IV exempts sports betting wagers from Georgia's state sales and use tax, and the Act takes effect immediately upon the Governor's signature, though licenses cannot be issued before September 1, 2025.

1. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-02House Hopper (House)

• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)Primary sponsor

• sports betting
• Georgia Lottery Corporation
• gambling law
• problem gambling resources
• state tax on betting