Poll Shows Voters In Georgia Want Sports Betting Legalized

• A new poll released shows that sports betting has 57 percent of support among voters.
• The Georgia legislature is aiming to legalize three different forms of gambling.
• The legislative session in Georgia ends on March 27.

ATLANTA – A new poll released last week shows that a majority of Georgia voters want sports betting to come to the state.

On Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) released a poll about issues that voters will likely vote on in November. Some of the issues voters were polled on concerned gun reform and seat belt safety laws. The voters were also polled on what they thought about gambling expansion in Georgia.

The Future Of Gambling In Georgia

Right now, the only form of gambling that is legal in Georgia is the lottery. There are no casinos, racetracks, or sportsbooks available in Georgia. But Georgia lawmakers are looking to legalize those three forms of gambling in 2020.

The poll shows that the voters seem to be in favor of legalizing sports betting in Georgia. Around 57 percent of the polled voter’s aid they would vote to legalize sports betting for the state. For reference, 64 percent of the voters say they want casino gambling in Georgia.

“If people want to blow their money, let them. I’m OK with it,” said Michael Morris, an employee who works in IT at Bonaire. “I’m not going to do it, but if someone else does, go for it. I believe there should be no laws written designed to protect a person against themselves.”

The Process of Legalization

The poll indicates that almost every demographic of people support sports betting in Georgia. Only those who consider themselves to be “very conservative” do not want sports betting in the state. This is critical for lawmakers to know.

Lawmakers have not yet drafted a bill to legalize sports betting just yet. In order to do that, a bill needs to pass in the state House and Senate with a two-thirds majority vote. Once that is done and Governor Brian Kemp signs the bill, it will go to the voters. The state’s registered voters will have the last say if sports betting should be legalized or not.

Now that lawmakers do know that voters want legal sports betting, it could push them to create a bill. The legislative session in Georgia is relatively short. The session ends on March 27, so there is not a lot of time for sports betting to be legalized in Georgia.

News tags: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Georgia | Michael Morris | Polling | Referendum