A bill to legalize sports betting in Georgia (Senate Bill 386) passed through the State Senate by a vote of 35-15 on Thursday, but the legislation also received a notable amendment that went against the bill sponsor's requests.'
The bill as originally proposed would make sports betting a lottery game, meaning it wouldn't need a constitutional amendment to become law. The bill was amended Thursday to require a constitutional amendment.'
In addition to the bill needing to make its way through the House and onto the governor's desk, it now also needs to be approved by Georgia voters in November. The constitutional amendment provision was proposed by Sen. Bill Cowsert and opposed by bill sponsor Sen. Clint Dixon.'
“It is disingenuous at best and just sneaky to try to circumvent the voters of the state of Georgia,” Cowsert said of the original bill.