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On Thursday, the state Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed sports betting on horse racing in Georgia, thereby dealing a blow to the industry.
Senate Bill 57, which would have required horse racing sports wagering to be included in the state lottery and required that track wins be paid out by the track itself or another corporation rather than a wagering pool, was defeated by a vote of 37–19 lawmakers.
Pari-mutual wagering is the name for that conventional setup, which also allows the odds to vary up until the start of the race. The Georgia Constitution outright forbids casinos and pari-mutual betting.
Nevertheless, this is not the only sports betting law in Georgia; a different measure that would allow sports betting but not horse racing is also on the ballot there, and the Senate is also considering a proposal to let voters decide the matter in a referendum.
Avoiding a constitutional amendment is advantageous since it has to be approved by a majority of voters statewide and two-thirds of both chambers of the General Assembly. Republicans do not, however, own a two-thirds majority in either parliamentary body, and some Republicans are hesitant to formally endorse gaming due to their moral convictions.