Georgia Sports Betting Legislation Fails Due to Tax Dispute
The efforts of the Georgia sports betting legislation stopped as lawmakers failed to devise a compromise on allocating tax revenues. On Thursday, the last legislative session, the House could not vote for the legalization of sports wagering in the state.
According to sportsbook pay per head industry experts, opposition to the proposed law came from both political parties. The distribution of tax income was a point of contention for Democrats, who sought to alter the intended use of the cash. The constitutional change needed a two-thirds majority in both houses to pass, which it would not have achieved without the backing of Democrats.
Democrat Sam Park of Lawrenceville, the House Minority Whip, voiced his disapproval of the legislation as it was introduced, saying that it did not adhere to the bipartisan concessions established in the Senate. Some Democrats who wanted more significant expenditures criticized the House committee for allocating revenues for HOPE college scholarships and pre-K programs.
Georgia Sports Betting Legislation Failed to Pass
Backers of the bill said that if sports betting were legalized, consumers would be better protected. Also, the state would get more money in taxes since it would bring the currently unregulated gambling industry into a regulated framework. Republicans from Watkinsville, like the bill’s sponsor, Representative Marcus Wiedower, stressed the importance of helping gamblers switch from the underground to the legal market.
Several people have voiced concerns about the social effects of legalized sports betting, namely the fact that it could make addiction more common, especially among the younger generation. According to bookie industry reports, Rep. Clay Pirkle (R–Ashburn) voiced his worry that legalizing sports betting at the state level might normalize the practice for more people.
Athens Republican and leading senator Bill Cowsert defended the constitutional amendment proposal, pointing out its measures to combat compulsive gambling. To put in place strong protections against gambling-related harm, the amendment included provisions that would allocate funds for the treatment of gambling addiction.
According to political news forum users, some 38 states have legalized sports betting. However, many more are still debating how much tax money should be collected and how it should be distributed among residents.
Under the previously proposed law, Georgia would have been subject to a 20% tax on sports betting revenues. New York and Rhode Island both have tax rates of 51%, while Iowa has a rate of 6.75 percent.
