Georgia Sports Betting Potential Showed Off By Committee

We all know legalized sports betting is a massive — and we mean massive — opportunity. In the 39 states it’s legal, most are making a million off it in tax revenue. We routinely report the figures on this site.

Despite this success, though, there are 11 holdovers who refuse to legalize. Georgia is one of them. There have been yearly attempts at Georgia sports betting every legislative year, and the same thing happens each time: the bill stalls or dies out completely.

We’re a few shorts months away from the start of the 2026 Georgia legislative session where new laws can be created. Once again, legalized betting is expected to be one topic of conversation.

But… there will be a big difference this year. There will actually be some data and findings to back the arguments. That’s because Georgia’s House Study Committee on Gaming has been studying the effects of legalization over the past few months, and they’re beginning to release their findings. In this article, we’ll reveal the potential of the industry based on what they’ve released so far so stick with us!

How Much Is Georgia Missing Out On In Tax Revenue?

Back in late August, the aforementioned committee had a hearing, the second of its kind. In it, over a dozen industry reps and policy experts testified on what they’ve discovered while studying the subject. One of those findings centered on the obvious: how much money is Georgia missing out on by not regulating this thing?

Former North Carolina Rep. Jason Saine led off the testimonies. He’s an important voice because North Carolina long balked at the idea of legalization, before doing so in 2024 to massive success. Saine, now a partner at The Southern Group lobbying firm, said Georgia could rake in more than $100 million in its first year of legal betting, money that would go straight into education.

The revenue number was drawn from Saine’s own experience in North Carolina. That state’s first-year tax haul reached $116 million, almost double that of early projections. With a similar population base of around 10.8 million people, Georgia could easily match or exceed that performance if it followed North Carolina’s model — specifically the 18 percent tax rate Saine called “a sweet spot.”

A similar testimony came from Jeremy Kudon, president of the Sports Betting Alliance — the industry’s most powerful trade group, funded by top betting apps like BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics, and bet365. Kudon said Georgia could bring in $154 million in year one under a 17 percent tax rate, and $222 million by year five.

The revenue projections seem fair to us. We have to remember, Georgia is a sports-crazed state. Up and down the state, they love their Bulldogs, Falcons, Braves, Hawks, and more. Based on other states, you know that fandom will trickle down into betting.

Georgia Voters Are Largely On Board

Here’s the part lawmakers can’t ignore — Georgians want this. Badly. A University of Georgia and Metro Atlanta Chamber poll from late 2024 found that 63 percent of residents want legal sports betting.

Kudon, during his testimony, never said lawmakers should legalize it. Instead, he spun it as Georgia voters should have the right to vote on the issue themselves. And if the University or Georgia study is to be believed, they’d vote in favor of regulating the industry.

There’s other data that proves the growing interest in betting from locals. GeoComply, which tracks location pings for sportsbooks, found 4.4 million geolocation checks from Georgia during the last NFL season. That’s 366,000 sportsbook accounts trying to place bets — all from a state where it’s still illegal. The top spot for that? Exit 1 on I-75 in Chattanooga, right over the Tennessee border, where Georgians drive just far enough to open their apps.

So the appetite is clearly there — and not just among fans. Atlanta’s pro sports teams have long supported legalization, and now even the PGA Tour is backing the push. Scott Warfield, the Tour’s VP of gaming, told lawmakers that betting actually strengthens engagement. Fans who wager show up more, watch longer, and care deeper.

If it sounds like a win-win all around, it’s because it largely is. Betting apps get access to a new market. Local sports teams get more sponsorship dollars and more engaged fans. Locals get what they want with access to gambling. And state lawmakers, well, they get tax money that would otherwise go to popular offshore sportsbooks.

Will this be enough for something to get on the ballot in 2026? We’d hope, but it’s also not black and white. One major roadblock remains: Georgia’s constitution flat-out bans gambling. Some lawmakers argue sports betting could sneak in under the state lottery umbrella, but most agree it would take a full constitutional amendment — meaning a two-thirds vote in both chambers and then approval from voters statewide.

Two-thirds is a lot of votes for any issue, especially for gambling, which still carries a stigma in conservative places like Georgia. So we’ll see what happens in 2026, but at least we have stronger data to form opinions on, thanks to this committee.