The push to legalize Georgia sports betting is back on the table in the 2026 legislative session, after Rep. Matt Hatchett reintroduced House Bill 910. The proposal aims to legalize statewide mobile wagering by putting it under the Georgia Lottery Corporation, an approach meant to sidestep a statewide voter referendum.
What HB 910 Would Do
HB 910 would treat online sports betting as an expansion of the existing Georgia Lottery for Education Act, with the lottery serving as regulator. The bill authorizes up to 18 licenses for Georgia sportsbook apps, creating a potentially expansive market.
The bill’s “eligible entity” list is designed to map onto recognizable sports and event properties in the state. It includes the state's five pro sports teams, the PGA Tour, Augusta National Golf Club, Atlanta Motor Speedway (NASCAR), the Georgia Lottery itself, two licenses approved by the National Steeplechase Association, and the remaining awarded by the GA Lottery.
On the money side, HB 910 imposes a 25% privilege tax on adjusted gross income from online sports betting. The bill also sets out licensing fees (including a $100,000 application fee and a $1.5 million annual fee for certain licenses), and requires the Lottery Corporation to adopt initial rules within 90 days of the law taking effect.
Sports betting tax/fee revenue would flow through Georgia’s existing lottery proceeds framework, which is constitutionally tied to education funding.
One thing the bill does not explicitly lay out is how Georgia sports betting promos would be handled as far as revenue is concerned. Some states don't count wagers placed with promotional bets toward gross revenue, while others place a cap on the amount operators can deduct.
The Biggest Hurdle: Referendum vs. Lottery Expansion
The reason HB 910 keeps resurfacing is the same reason Georgia hasn’t crossed the finish line yet: lawmakers still disagree on whether sports betting can be authorized through statute, or whether it requires a constitutional amendment that goes to voters.
If sports betting must go the constitutional route, the math gets harder as amendments typically require a two-thirds vote in both chambers before they can even appear on the statewide ballot. That’s a much steeper climb than passing a “lottery oversight” bill with a standard majority vote. Supporters of HB 910 are clearly betting that the Lottery framework is the fastest path to launch, but opponents (and some lawmakers) have historically argued it’s not that simple.
Meanwhile, outside HB 910, other discussions in Georgia continue to swirl around broader gambling expansion, an approach that can pull sports betting into larger debates about casinos, pari-mutuel wagering and tourism economics. That bigger package can create momentum, but it can also add new political landmines.
What Bettors and Industry Watchers Should Track NextA few signals worth watching over the next several weeks:
- Committee assignments and hearing schedules (if HB 910 doesn’t move early, it’s usually a bad sign)
- Whether legislative leadership publicly embraces the lottery framework, or starts pushing the issue toward a voter-facing constitutional amendment instead
- Whether lawmakers coalesce around one “main vehicle” (HB 910 or an amendment-based plan)
If you’re a bettor, the bottom line is that nothing changes overnight, but the reintroduction of HB 910 keeps Georgia firmly on the 2026 watchlist. This is increasingly important as neighboring states continue collecting legal sportsbook tax dollars while Georgia leaves that activity in the unregulated shadows.
