Legal Sports Betting in Georgia
Gambling in Georgia is mostly illegal, meaning that bettors of 18 years or older are permitted to play bingo, the state lottery, charitable raffles and play online bingo. Those that want to gamble with online bookmakers, and casinos, and participate in games held in online poker rooms, must do so via online bookmakers.
Georgia’s gambling laws are some of the strictest in the USA, especially for those looking to participate in online sports betting in the state of Georgia. Boasting top NBA and NFL teams like the Atlanta Hawk and Atlanta Falcons, bettors are spoilt for choice when it comes to sports wagering.
State | Georgia |
Sports Betting Law Passed | No ❌ |
Launch date | N/A |
Minimum Gambling Age | 18 |
Online Sports Betting | Yes ✔️ |
Retail Sports Betting | No ❌ |
Retail Casinos | No ❌ |
The laws are unlikely to change anytime soon, with many lobbyists in the public and private sectors looking to move things forward. In the meantime, bettors can choose from a long list of excellent online bookmakers. The state will continue to allow millions of Georgian dollars each year to go to offshore bookmakers until the law regardings sports betting in Georgia is amended.
Top 5 Georgia Online Sportsbooks
We have researched this year after year, and we are always refining our list of the top 5 Georgia online sportsbooks. These sportsbooks are the best for Georgia specifically, as they contain local betting markets and are legally avilable in the Peach State.
Bovada
Bovada is our top-rated Georgia online sportsbooks, and this is the case for many important reasons. Our readers always give us positive feedback for this option. For one, their reputation brings security, as this online betting site works hard to protect its reputation by providing speedy payouts and great odd. Plus, you can enjoy thousands of daily betting markets for teams in and outside of Georgia!
Pros
- Reputation
- Tens of thousands of daily betting markets
- Rotating specials for top sports
BetOnline
BetOnline comes with a great sign up bonus for Georgia sports bettors of all stripes. You can claim the signup bonus when you make your first qualifying deposit. BetOnline is one of those special sportsbooks that also gives you an even more generous bonus if you make that first deposit using Bitcoin. Combine this with their attentive and professional customer service team, and you have a recipe for success!
Pros
- Great banking options
- Intuitive betting platform
- Cryptocurrency bonus
MyBookie
MyBookie always has creative and insightful rotating promotions. Whether it is for the Peach Bowl, the Super Bowl, or the Stanley Cup, MyBookie has seems to have an ace up its sleeve when it comes to keeping its players entertained. These betting options provide great opportunities for savvy bettors to have more fun and make more money. Their betting markets cover many sports and have a variety of bets within each sport, giving you plenty to work with as you flush out your betting portfolio.
Pros
- Always stays up to date
- Varied betting markets
- Rotating bonuses
SportsBetting.ag
SportsBetting.ag is one of the best Georgia online sportsbooks, and one of the main reasons is that they have so many betting markets for teams like the Atlanta Falcons or Georgia Bulldogs. But that is not all that this great option has to offer. They also have plenty of other options that you can access all with the same account. So if you want to place some bets in the casino or in the racebook, you can do it all with your SportsBetting.ag account. Check out the great bonuses they offer in each of these great wagering sections.
Pros
- Solid bonuses
- Easy deposit options
- Access multiple products
XBet
XBet is one of the newer sportsbooks in Georgia. Though, by this point, they have been around for long enough for us to be sure about their trustworthiness and how they process their withdrawals. Their attentive customer service agents help make your experience here as smooth as butter. This is a big plus as well when it comes to their mobile interface, which is easy to use, and which you can access simply by logging on via your mobile device. This Georgia sportsbook is great for anyone who wants to place sports bets on the go.
Pros
- Great mobile interface
- Customer service agents
- Creative wagers
Is Sports Betting Legal in Georgia?
Georgia has yet to pass any law to license local sportsbooks. But this does not mean that bettors in Georgia have to wait around. You can sign up at the online sportsbooks we recommend on this page without a problem! In fact, these offshore sportsbooks will be the best ones even if Georgia begins licensing their own options.
Georgia Sports Betting – Recent Updates
- November 2, 2023 – Officials from the Entain Foundation, part owner of BetMGM’s US operations, recently met with Georgia lawmakers to discuss potential gambling expansion in the state.
- October 1, 2023 – PrizePicks, a daily fantasy sports app, wants a Georgia court to dismiss a case claiming it uses stolen third-party software.
- August 1, 2023 – Brian Harman, a former University of Georgia student, won the 2023 Open Championship golf tournament. The event was held at the Royal Liverpool club in England.
- July 2, 2023 – Georgia-based PrizePicks faces a lawsuit accusing them of technology theft related to their player prop-style, over-under fantasy sports games.
- May 3, 2023 – The state of Georgia has failed to legalize sports betting this year as HB 237, the only active sports betting bill in the state, did not pass during the legislative session. The next opportunity for a bill is in 2024.
Six Reasons to Bet on These Georgia Betting States
In the majority of states that don’t allow sports betting, bettors have the option to partake in betting at land-based casinos. However, this isn’t the case in Georgia, where bettors won’t find any kind of betting markets apart from online bookmakers.
For the bettors that are looking to get involved in online sports betting, they have a broad range of online bookmakers to choose from as US citizens. One of the complications with online bookmakers is finding the best provider for online gambling in Georgia.
One thing that does confuse bettors, is what qualities in a sportsbook should users require? Well, we answer that question. We’ve put together a list of the top five most valuable traits to look for in an online sportsbook.
GTBets is a great example of a sportsbook full of bonuses. Their welcome bonus is 100%.
Is the sportsbook available in Georgia?
It’s a given. But, often misunderstood by certain bettors. The first thing to do is to check the availability of betting in the state of Georgia regarding the sportsbook in question. While many still wonder if is gambling legal in Georgia, smart bettors are already taking advantage of the wealth of offshore bookmarkers at their disposal.
Customer Support
Nearly all of the points we make here today don’t match the importance of ensuring the sportsbook you decide to deposit with has quality customer service. When you’re dealing with money then you want to be in safe hands, no matter if it’s buying a car or wagering with an online bookmaker. Check out the history of the sportsbook; find reviews, read forums, establish whether the bookmaker is reliable and if it has a history of first-rate customer experiences to back up the sportsbook itself.
Bovada has been around for a long time and is a well-known and beloved sportsbook.
Enhanced Odds
Many sportsbooks provide a range of odds and often ones that are highly competitive, almost matching that of rival sportsbooks. However, something bettors should look for is sportsbooks that focus on specific markets that they’re interested in. Why? Well, because often sportsbooks will focus on particular markets and provide enhanced odds, meaning that these odds will be at an even better rate than at rival sportsbooks—which is of great value to bettors.
Welcome Bonus and Promotions
For anyone that’s new to online bookmakers, you need to be made aware of the value of a quality welcome bonus. The fortunate thing for customers is that all sportsbooks are competing for new customers, as well as retaining the customer base they already have, so they are always trying to produce promotions and bonuses to draw players in. As such, is some great value to be found in terms of Welcome Bonuses, as well as promotions that run alongside the major sports leagues.
WagerWeb is a great example of this. They are always among the first to update their odds, really setting the industry tone.
Upstanding reputation
One thing bettors must be aware of is that sportsbooks work very hard on marketing campaigns and can appear to be much better than they actually are. This means it’s down to the individual bettor to do their homework and find out what the community thinks of the bookmaker in question. We’d advise checking around online and making an assessment of the quality of service before depositing.
EveryGame has great customer service, especially their live chat, available 24/7.
Do They Accept Your Deposit Method?
As you sign up for the different sportsbooks, it is a good idea to choose them based on your preferred deposit option. This is especially true for anyone who is considering using Bitcoin to fund their sports betting account.
Bitcoin betting sites will not only accept the cryptocurrency, but they will even provide you with an extra bonus. That is right! In addition to the added security and speed BTC provides, the sportsbooks love it so much that they will boost your welcome and sometimes reload bonuses to encourage its use.
Potential Legal Sports Betting Sites in Georgia
You may have noticed that names like BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel did not make our list. One of the reasons is that their legality is always go back and forth, and this puts its users at risk of not being able to access their funds. Plus, they have high advertising and operating costs, which they tend to pass on to their customers. So, be careful with brands like Unibet, BetRivers, and PointsBet.
Georgia Sports Betting Timeline
Every year, Georgia and pro sports betting representatives drive a bill for change forward, with the movement gaining huge traction in 2023.
2022
Little Concrete Movement has been made in GA
Many commissions and studies were published this year, and they tended to highlight the tax revenue that sportsbook licenses could generate in Georgia. However, the state government has yet to take up this recommendation.
2021
George House of Representatives Vote
A huge movement for the state’s sports betting bill, as The Georgia House of Representatives votes to legalize mobile sports betting. Many are hopeful the bill will allow sports betting in the next 12 months.
George State Senate votes to approval sports betting
With the introduction of the SB 142, the Georgia Senate votes to approve sports betting legalization in the state, with the public allowed to vote directly on the bill.
2019
Sports Betting in Georgia “Inevitable”
Scholar Andrew Smith publishes an article arguing that sports betting in Georgia is inevitable, and that the state should start licensing their own sportsbooks right away. He says this is the best way to profit from the growing number of states that are opening up their own local sportsbooks and collecting that tax revenue.
2018
Supreme Court rules against banning sports betting
After a turbulent year for sports betting in Georgia, the Supreme Court rules that it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to place an outright ban on sports betting wholesale.
2017
Bill introduced to build two land-based casinos
The Georgia state legislature pushes to introduce a bill for two land-based casinos in the state of Georgia, though the bull died later that same year.
Georgia Sports Teams to Bet on
MLB Betting in Georgia
- Atlanta Braves – The Braves are a member of the National League (NL) East division. Before landing in Atlanta, they passed through Boston and Milwaukee.
NBA Betting in Georgia
- Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks are a team in the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They were founded in Buffalo, but that only lasted 38 days before moving to Moline, Illinois. They also passed through Milwaukee and St. Louis before coming to Georgia
NFL Betting in Georgia
- Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons are an NFL team that plays in the National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965.
Georgia and Daily Fantasy Sports
Georgia is not exactly the most gambling friendly state, so it may come as a surprise that there are some daily fantasy sports apps operating in the state. They do so in a state of legal limbo where they are technically not illegal. You can visit some of your options like FanDuel and create an account to start betting. But these tend to pricey and placing sports wagers at the sites we recommend here will bring you better bonuses and more competitive odds.
Is Horse Racing Legal in Georgia
There are no permanent race tracks in Georgia, so it can be hard to go visit and watch any horse races, as they are somewhat infrequent events. Online racebooks are easily available right now for bettors in Georgia. All of the sportsbooks on this page also have excellent racebooks. In fact, they also come with weekly rebates. In case you have a bad week, they will give you back some of your losses.
Nearby States with Legal Sports Betting
Georgia is in one of the most anti-gambling corners of the country. They have five neighbors, and three of them have passed laws to license sportsbooks: North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida. Their other neighbors, Alabama, and South Carolina, are not likely to pass any gambling laws too soon. Nonetheless, bettors in Georgia do not have to travel to place sports wagers. They can log in and play today on online sportsbooks.