Georgia sports betting remains illegal. During the legislative session of 2024, several bills aimed at legalizing sports betting did not succeed, postponing any potential enactment of new legislation until at least 2025.
The quest for legalization has encountered challenges; however, many legislators are committed to establishing legal online sports betting sites. Additionally, there is a high demand for legalized sports wagering among Georgia residents.
Ahead of any legal changes, we’ve put together a detailed preview of what you can expect when online sports betting goes live in Georgia.
There is hope that sports betting will be legalized soon, but there is still a long way to go, as the bill still needs to pass a vote on the Senate floor. When this happens, the first Georgia sportsbooks will probably go live shortly after.
Georgia's first attempts to legalize sports betting came in 2020. With neighboring Tennessee passing a sports betting bill in 2019, however, delays saw the bill not make any headway for a while.
It still has a long way to go.
OK, so we’re looking forward to online sports betting in Georgia. We’re not sure exactly when the first sites or betting apps will launch, but we’re confident one or more of these brands will go live once the market opens up,
This fantasy sports company has been making moves on the betting scene since 2018. With the help of experienced bookmakers via Flutter Entertainment, it’s created a well-rounded platform.
FanDuel offers odds on over 15 sports, boosts, parlay insurance, live streams, and a lot more, read our honest FanDuel Sportsbook review to know more.
DraftKings Sportsbook is another fantasy sports brand that’s transitioned to betting in recent years. DraftKings offers pre-event and live betting on many different sports, including football, basketball, soccer, and rugby.
This operator also has a rewards scheme known as Dynasty, pool betting, and much more. Be sure to check our honest DraftKings Sportsbook review to know more in-depth about all they have to offer.
BetMGM online sportsbook is strong in all areas. It also offers secure software and safe deposit methods. It has tons of promotions and covers more sports than almost any other operator.
Finally, it offers live streams and statistics.
Basically, whichever angle you come at it from, BetMGM is a leading U.S. sports betting operator with a good chance of coming to Georgia eventually.
Caesars Sportsbook is using its experience in gaming to offer a high-quality online betting service.
One of its strongest assets is Caesars Rewards. This loyalty scheme is a great way to get bonus bets, comps, and exclusive gifts when you’re an active sports bettor.
The market will be littered with options when lawmakers make betting legal in Georgia. Indeed, we’ve already previewed a few brands that could make their mark in the state. All of them are fantastic, but you may prefer one over another.
The best way to learn and, in turn, compare apps, is to read our online Georgia sportsbook reviews. These guides cover an operator’s bonuses, software, betting options, customer service and more. Once you’ve got all the relevant information, you can compare our recommended online sportsbooks and join the ones that take your fancy.
Looking forward to legalized online sports wagering in Georgia? Here’s what you could expect to see at the first mobile betting platforms.
Every popular sport in Georgia will be covered by the state’s betting sites. That means you’ll find betting lines and offers for football, baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey, and many more GA sports favorites.
All online Georgia sportsbooks will be competing for your attention soon enough. That means they’ll be constantly monitoring each other’s stats to ensure they offer competitive lines, as well as odds boosts.
Legal Georgia sportsbooks will ensure you simply and easily can place bets in just a few taps via your desktop computer or mobile.
Georgia sportsbooks will aim to give you as much added value as possible. There will probably be some pre-live bonuses whenever Georgia sports betting does launch. As well as the best sportsbook promos for new bettors, the online operators should offer bonus bets, loyalty rewards, parlay insurance, and second-chance bets.
Big events always get some love from oddsmakers. Therefore, if the Atlanta Hawks, the Georgia Bulldogs, or Georgia Southern Eagles are in action, there will be extra odds and offers available.
Georgia sportsbooks will offer loyalty schemes in which credits can be exchanged for bonus bets, exclusive gifts, and special bonuses.
Every legal Georgia sportsbook will have to offer help and support. In fact, it will be a regulatory requirement.
Therefore, you’ll be able to contact a member of the customer service team via email, phone, and/or live chat.
Sports betting is a real-money activity. Therefore, regulated Georgia sportsbooks have to offer secure, efficient ways for you to pay. This means letting you choose from a variety of reputable betting payment methods, such as Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal.
Live streaming is a nice added extra that some Georgia sportsbooks could offer. Once efforts to legalize sports betting in Georgia are successful, you’ll be able to watch live events, including NFL and NBA games, for free via your computer and mobile.
Sports bettors in Georgia will be well catered for. All of the world’s top sports will be covered. This means you’ll get betting lines for the Atlanta Braves, the New England Patriots, Manchester City, and many more sporting greats.
It’s also likely that you’ll be able to bet on college football teams in Georgia state.
Some of the sports Georgia bettors can look forward to are:
You’ll have plenty of ways to place wagers when online sportsbooks go live. The average minimum bet will be $0.01, and bookies will allow you to be as general or specific as you like.
As well as pre-event bets, you’ll also be able to make wagers while an event is in progress with live betting sites in Georgia.
Some of the main wager types you’ll find online are:
Georgia is an unregulated Daily Fantasy Sports market. This means DFS sites are neither legal nor illegal.
You won’t be breaking the law by using them, but it’s worth remembering that they are unregulated.
Horse racing betting sites are illegal in Georgia. However, this could change if sports betting becomes legal in Georgia.
Georgia sports teams are present in every major U.S. league. From football to lacrosse, the state is well represented. That’s great news for sports bettors because it means there will be plenty of local interest. We can’t go through all 19 pro and college teams.
However, we can highlight four that are worth looking out for.
The Braves’ history stretches back to 1871. However, it wasn’t until 1966 that the franchise landed in Atlanta. They dominated the division throughout the nineties and into the noughties. This run included a third World Series title in 1995.
The Atlanta Braves added a fourth World Series in 2021 with a win over the Houston Astros.
Georgia is a football state, and the Atlanta Falcons fly higher than the rest. Although they’ve never won the Super Bowl, they have reached two finals, including a heartbreaking overtime loss to the New England Patriots in 2017.
The Atlanta Hawks are the NBA team based in Atlanta. The team can be traced back to when the Buffalo Bisons were established in 1946.
They have won one NBA championship and have made four NBA Finals appearances.
Established in 2014, Atlanta United is Atlanta's soccer club which competes in the MLS. This team is constantly growing in popularity, setting several league records for the highest match attendances. ATL UTD is also estimated to be the second most valuable club in the MLS.
It’s not possible to bet on sports in Georgia at the moment. However, this could change soon.
Based on the fact that Georgia doesn’t have any land-based casinos, all bets will (probably) be made via desktop and mobile.
To find the latest MLB betting lines, NBA odds, and a whole lot more, follow the steps below:
Note: you’ll need to be 21 or older and located within the state.
Georgia will almost certainly mirror Tennessee sportsbooks. Not only is that the closest U.S. sports betting state, but the market is also thriving. This means you’ll need to be 21 or older and located in the state to bet.
The state would tax sports betting at 20%. Operators can deduct the federal excise tax from their taxable revenue but cannot deduct promotional credits. Retail licenses cost $100,000 annually. Mobile licenses come with a far heftier $1 million annual fee.
Previous sports betting bills have sought to tax operators 10% of their profits and charge a $900,000 licensing fee. These may not be the rates Georgia lawmakers settle on, but they’re likely to be somewhere around these figures.
In terms of revenue potential, GA sports betting operators can look to the Volunteer State for inspiration. The Tennessee monthly sports betting handle is over $300 million. That equates to a monthly revenue of more than $20 million.
Additionally, all betting is likely to take place online, and there won’t be any major restrictions with regards to pro and college sports betting.
The only notable restriction might be that you can’t make live prop bets on college teams as this is something you can’t do in Tennessee.
We’re all waiting for online sports betting to launch in Georgia, but there’s no value in using offshore sites. These operators aren’t regulated and, moreover, they’re not legal in Georgia. That’s the main reason not to use them.
However, if you need a bit more convincing, here are a few reasons why you should always choose licensed Georgia sportsbooks:
Sports betting should be fun. In fact, there’s a saying in the UK that goes like this: when the fun stops, stop. If you ever feel as though things are getting out of control, you can use a variety of responsible gambling tools.
These tools are: