[GA] Georgia Bingo, Casino and Sports Betting [2021]

Georgia – the Peach State – has limited gaming options. There are technically only three forms of gambling permitted within the borders of Georgia – lottery, bingo and raffles. Land based is restricted to tribal reserves, however there are none which are permitted to offer casino gaming. Online gambling is limited to offshore online casinos and sports betting sites. Casino Cruise ships are also available, however they must set sail to international waters, and therefore cannot offer any gambling within the borders of Georgia.

Online Gambling

• Offshore online casinos to players from Georgia
• Onshore online casino operators are prohibited
• Georgia State Lottery has an exclusive license over lottery products, but none are offered as online gaming.
• Bingo and Raffle for charitable organizations operated on a licensee basis, but none can be offered by local operators via online.
• Two casino boats are permitted to operate gaming machines and table games (slot machines, video poker, blackjack, poker, roulette and craps) in international waters.
• Commercial gambling is prohibited under State law.
• Daily Fantasy Sports operators accept players from Georgia.

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Best 5 Georgia Online Casinos

Our recommended list of Georgia online casinos have been carefully compiled to account several key criteria.

In short, we assessed each casino against their ability to perform transactions safely and securely, provide customer support in a timely and efficient manner, give players rewarding casino bonuses, and have entertaining high quality gaming.

Perform transactions safely and securely

All the top notch online casinos have SSL encryption to enable a safe and secure deposit and withdrawal transaction. These days it is important for sites to have the latest protection for processing payments.

Without it, players could be exposed to would be hackers.

Timely and Efficient Customer Support

Online casinos need to be able to service player needs and therefore it’s important that they have professional customer service. As a player, we are always looking out for the best online casinos that provide for quality customer service. Our recommended list of online casinos, all have 24×7 support for customers, through email, instant chat messaging and/or customer support hot line.

Casino Bonuses

We have included in our assessment the ability for online casinos to reward players with bonuses. Top online casinos can fulfil many important factors that players are looking for, but an essential component is the bonuses. Please note that bonuses comes with a myriad of terms and conditions. And while on face value bonuses for one casino may look more attractive than another, pay attention to the wagering requirements and also on which games the bonus is applicable for.

Georgia Online Live Dealer Casinos

If you are looking for that online casino table game experience but don’t trust RNG algorithms, and you are missing that social interaction with fellow Players, then consider playing at our recommended Online Casinos which also offer Live Dealer interactive gaming.

With the increasing speed of the internet, allowing for crystal clear HD video streaming to your playing device, you can now play interactively with other players and with a live dealer without leaving the safety of your home.

Avoid the inconvenience of putting on a mask, stand in a queue to have your temperature checked or playing uncomfortably with plexiglass surrounding you.

Online Live Casinos that use Live Dealers is a relatively new interactive gaming phenomenon that comes with extra features. These include, but not limited to, unlimited back behind betting, choice of dealer and much much more. In addition the benefits of playing online are not forgone, such as casino bonuses.

Online Live Casinos and Live Dealers are gaining popularity by Georgian players. Read more about Online Live Casinos here.

Georgia Casinos Reviewed

Unfortunately there are no Vegas style casinos in Georgia. If you reside in Atlanta then be prepared to drive several hours to Alabama, the nearest casino being the Wind Creek Wetumpka.

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Sports Betting

There is overwhelming public support to legalize sports betting in Georgia, but the political will (stemming from a long history of conservative gambling laws), and partisan back room fighting between Republicans and Democrats, is holding back any hope of gambling reform.

In May 2020, it had been introduced for discussion, Bills HB903 and SR841 to provide for sports betting at a tax rate of 10%, regulated through the Georgia Commission and offered via mobile platforms only.

The sessions expired with the Bills not addressed. Accordingly sports betting remains illegal indefinitely.

Online sports betting sites, however, do exist and they are based offshore. They accept Georgia bettors, with no precedence of any bettor being informed of a breach in law, let alone charged with a misdemeanor or felony.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is growing fast in popularity. New to the gambling scene, it is considered a game of skill by many which requires bettors to create a fictitious team based on real players. The performance of the real sports players in real life determine how successful the fictitious team is. As a result, it truly is those with the most “skills” will win.

The two dominant daily fantasy sports providers are DraftKings and FanDuel. On this site, we do not actively promote daily fantasy sports as we understand that it is a game of “skill” which is being exploited by bettors who have the best risk modelling. That is, it isn’t about how well you know your sport, the sport players etc, but rather who has the best statistical model and who has access to the most detailed sports player data.

As someone who may be a big fan of sport, and thinking that they would have a good chance of winning money in DFS, think again. You are pitted against statistical modelling experts who deliberately target games that have new players to DFS. In fact, it has been alleged that those who are extremely good at DFS have been known to collaborate among themselves and not compete with each other. Thereby creating a sustainable winning formula shared by the top DFS players.

We therefore want our readers to be aware that DFS is not what is appears to be. In fairness, DFS has many onshore operators accept Georgia players. They are run professionally and is safe and secure for players.

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Best 3 Georgia Online Bingo Sites – great prizes, great fun

There are many online bingo sites to choose from in Georiga, hence we have selected the best 3 to play at. Choose from our recommended list of bingo sites and enjoy the fun!

Georgia bingo laws are stipulated under Charitable gaming state legislation. These laws provide for the licensing of non profit organizations to operate bingo games. At present, these laws do not prohibit nor permit online bingo by onshore operators. Accordingly, online bingo sites that do accept Georgia players are based offshore (which is the same as online casinos and sports betting sites).

The recommended online bingo sites all accept players from Georgia. They offer advanced features that include instant messaging, fun bingo games and protocols that ensures bingo participants play together in a civil enjoyable manner. Due to the social aspect of bingo, there is a cultural aspect to bingo which cannot be found with casino games or sports betting. As an example, A LOT of acronyms form part of instant chat messaging. If you are not familiar with online bingo lingo, do not be afraid, learning it is one of the most fun parts!

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Gambling Laws

• State lottery, bingo and raffles are permitted under State law
• Land based casinos, horse and dog race betting, pari-mutuel wagering, and commercial gambling are prohibited under state law
• There are 193 active and 41 inactive bingo operations within the State. The maximum pay in bingo prizes is US$1.5k per session or US$3k per week
• Subject to age restrictions, online gambling is neither prohibited nor expressly regulated under State law
• Sports betting is prohibited under State law.
• Daily Fantasy Sports is neither permitted nor prohibited under State law.

Gambling Legal Minimum Age

The legal minimum gambling age is 18 for casino boats, lottery, charity bingo and raffles.

Gambling Taxes

State Lottery pays 35% net proceeds to the Lottery for Education Account (with 10% as a scholarship shortfall reserve account).

Regulation and Governance

• Georgia Bureau of Investigation
• Georgia Lottery

Gambling Legislation

• Georgia State Code
• Georgia Statute on Bingo

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Georgia Gambling Market Developments

Background

• Georgia is a conservative State when it comes to gambling and Land-based activity is regulated strictly though;
• There is growing consensus in favor of both a land-based casino and limited forms of online gambling within the state;
• Online poker (through offshore operators) was moderately popular within the state.

November 2014

Harry Geisinger, Georgian State representative, introduced a Bill proposing that voters legalise parimutuel horse race betting within the State for economic reasons. Mr. Geisinger also introduced a sister bill, which outlined a regulatory framework on administration and supervision of the industry.

August 2015

A State Senate Committee announced it will hold a number of meetings in to discuss the legalization of casino gambling. The meetings, to be held in the State Capitol, were set for the 14th and 15th of September and will also include discussions on legalizing horse race betting.

January 2016

A constitutional amendment bill received renewed support in order to allow the expansion of gaming to be voted on, in the referendum to be held in November 2016. House Resolution 807 was introduced in March 2015 by Rep. Ron Stephens, with the aim of amending the state constitution, to
allow a limited number of casino resorts to be built in the state. The bill is currently under consideration by the Regulated Industries committee, if it progresses it requires a two thirds majority vote in the House and Senate to make it onto the public ballot.

February 2016

Senator Unterman, introduced a bill to define and regulate daily fantasy sports contests. If passed, SB352, would authorise the Attorney General, to govern the operation of the games as well as providing authorization for the Attorney General to repeal conflicting laws. The bill was referred to
the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee following its first reading.

March 2016

Attorney General Sam Olens, declared daily fantasy sport contests, constitute gambling under state law and are therefore illegal. The Attorney General was asked by the state lottery, to investigate the legality of the contests under current law, following the introduction of Senator Unterman’s bill which seeks to exempt them from prohibition.

October 2016

The State Lottery awarded IGT a seven-year contract extension, to continue supplying operational services and hardware. IGT have partnered with the lottery since its launch in 1993.

November 2016

The State Lottery launched a new instant ticket service which allows customers to purchase instant win tickets through self-service lottery terminals. The new product was rolled out across all lottery terminals on 21 November 2016.

January 2017

A number of House Representatives introduced a bill to authorize and regulate daily fantasy sports contests. HB118 would classify DFS as a game of skill and entrust the Department of the Secretary of State, or their designee, with the licensing and regulation of operators. The bill set out the initial license fees which ranged from $10k – $50k and proposed a gross win tax of 6%

Senator Brandon Beach introduced legislation to authorize the development of two land-based casino resorts in the state. SB79 sets out a detailed regulatory framework for the industry which would be administered by the proposed Georgia Gaming Commission. Operators of the resorts would be subject to annual license fees of $5m and a 20% tax on gross win. The bill was referred to the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee for consideration.

February 2017

SB79, which proposed the development of two land-based casinos in the state, failed to progress out of the committee stage and was dropped from the 2017 legislative session.

April 2017

Daily fantasy sport bill HB118 was not raised for a vote by the Senate and will not pass in the current legislative sitting. However, the bill will not require reintroduction next year and will continue from its position in the Senate.

March 2019

Legislation to authorize land based sports betting was introduced to the House. If passed, HR380 would require a constitutional amendment by statewide referendum to take effect.

November 2019

The city of Atlanta could soon give voters the right to voice their opinion on whether the city should have casinos or other gambling facilities if the state legalized gambling in the future. Atlanta City Councilwoman Marci Collier Overstreet said in a statement that the “legislation is about putting power in the hands of the people. Our constituents should be able to have their say on this issue.”

The council approved an ordinance requesting the Georgia General Assembly allow the city to propose a nonbinding ballot question in a future election.

January 2020

The Atlanta Motor Speedway announced plans to establish an integrated casino resort at its facilities in Hampton and held a public hearing on the proposals. The hearing, which was organised by the Special Committee on Economic Growth, discussed the possibility of amending the state’s
constitution to permit casino gaming as well as sports and horserace betting

A poll of more than 1,000 respondents by Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia’s largest daily newspaper, concluded 64% support for the legislation of casinos (up from 62% in 2016). In the case of the legalization of sports betting support was running at 57%, though there was a significant variation between the sexes with over 64% of men supporting it compared to just under 51% of the women surveyed.

February 2020

Senator Burt Jones has introduced legislation to regulate sports betting as a lottery game, which has bi-partisan support from five senators. SB 403 would give the Georgia Lottery responsibility for operations and management of the product with a new body, the Georgia Mobile Sports Wagering Integrity Commission, responsible for licensing. Sports betting operators would partner with the Georgia Lottery for mobile-only sports betting and pay a 10% tax on their income. The legislation is backed by the Georgia Professional Sports Integrity Alliance, a coalition of four professional Atlanta sports franchises, and follows an unsuccessful attempt in 2019 to legalize sports betting through a constitutional amendment.

June 2020

Legislation was introduced to the house to regulate online sports betting in the state. HB 903 would permit operators to partner with the lottery and offer online betting (including in-play bets) at a tax rate of 20% of gross win. The bill states that a constitutional amendment would not be required in order to permit the activity as it would be operated under the lottery which is already legal in the state.

Legislation to legalize sports betting failed to get out of Committee before the end of the legislative session.