Sen. Billy Hickman filed Senate Bill 208, which would expand the state lottery’s powers and allow it to offer Georgia sports betting.

This bill joins Senate Resolution 131, which aims to amend the Georgia Constitution to allow sports betting. Similar pieces of legislation passed the Senate last year, falling short in the House Rules Committee. 

Despite half a dozen failed attempts in the past, the Georgia people, through their elected representatives, do not seem to be giving up on the prospects of legal gambling just yet. This February, four Republicans in the Georgia Senate have jointly filed a new proposal that will legalize sports betting and casino gaming in one motion.

The measure, Senate Resolution 131, was introduced to the floor of the upper house by Senators Carden Summers (R-13), Billy Hickman (R-4), Brandon Beach (R-21) and Lee Anderson (R-24). Last year, these same sponsors championed SR 538, another bill that hoped to greenlight the establishment of casinos and sportsbooks in the Peach State.