Find the Best Legal Georgia Sports Betting Sites: Safe Bookies

Although Georgia is home to a number of top professional and college-level sports teams, there is currently no legal Georgia sports betting. However, there have recently been some parliamentary moves that signal that lawmakers are looking to introduce legal sports betting sometime in the future.

As we only recommend licensed online bookmakers and there are no legal online sports betting Georgia websites, we’ve used this guide to discuss the current gambling laws in the state. We’ve also discussed the future of the sports betting market in Georgia, as well as some other gambling options you can enjoy in the meantime.

What Betting Options are Legal for Georgia Residents

Georgia currently ranks as one of the least gambling-friendly states in the country, so it’s no wonder why there is no Georgia legal online sportsbook. However, for those wanting some legal betting option, visitors and residents can legally bet on bingo and the lottery, as well as daily fantasy sports sites.

Is Daily Fantasy Legal in Georgia?

As pari-mutuel wagering on horse and dog racing is illegal, there really are no kinds of Georgia sports betting options. Perhaps the closest thing available is daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting, which although isn’t technically illegal, is tolerated by the states. FanDuel and DraftKings operate in Georgia, both of which double as reputable sports betting sites. Players can access these daily fantasy sites via mobile devices as well as from their computers.

DFS sees contestants compete for cash prizes based on the real-life performances of their drafted fantasy team lineups of players from a sports league. Until there are legal online sports betting in Georgia, DFS games are a great way to get into the habit of researching sports games to make the best bets.

Are there Legal Offshore Sites for Georgia Players

In some states that don’t offer sports betting, players can still access offshore bookmakers through a legal loophole that ensures players won’t be punished for doing so. As Georgia specifically outlaws placing bets of any kind, there is no legal Georgia online gambling of any kind permitted outside of DFS.

For this reason, we highly recommend you avoid offshore betting sites such as Bovada and BetOnline or risk being punished. These websites also can’t be trusted as they are unlicensed, so can not offer any guarantees that they are safe and fair. It’s also not advised to trust websites that target customers in illegal jurisdictions.

GA Casinos

Not only are there no Georgia legal online sportsbooks available for Georgians, but residents are barred from casino gambling. For those in Georgia wanting to gamble at casinos, there are a number of casino cruise ships that sail from Georgia to international waters so players can gamble on slots and table games.

If players want to try some of these table games and slots without placing any cash wagers, online social casinos are available. These legal websites can be accessed on desktop browsers and apps and are free to play. Sometimes these social casinos offer real money jackpots through sweepstakes despite players wagering no cash. The odds of casino gabmling being legalized in the state are slim to none for the coming future.

Nearby States with Legal Sports Betting

As both local Georgia sports betting and international offshore bookmakers aren’t legal, we recommend that locals wanting to wager on sports travel to another state to make a sports bet. Luckily, Georgia is bordered by Tennessee, which was among the first states to offer legal sports betting.

We suggest you check these following state guides to discover the best sportsbooks available near Georgia:

• Tennessee
• North Carolina
• Mississippi

What would Legal Sports Betting in Georgia Look Like?

While it seemed as though legal online sports betting in Georgia would be a near impossibility a year ago, a new piece of legislation is currently seeking to make this a reality. The newly introduced bill seeks to legalize online sports betting and have it be run by the Georgia Lottery.

The bill is similar to one introduced by neighbor state Tennessee that would place a 10% tax on sports betting revenues. Operators would also need to pay a $900,000 annual license fee on top of this too. The current bill limits collegiate prop betting, including individual actions, events, and statistics of these games.

Outside of college games, players will be able to bet on all major sports league games such as the NFL, NBA, MLS, and NHL. These bets will likely have fewer restrictions than those placed on collegiate division sports. This is no doubt great news for fans of the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Hawks.

It’s still uncertain whether or not lawmakers will approve of the bill, but in the case they do, a special government body will be created to regulate the states sportsbook locations. These regulatory bodies are important as they set laws that ensure player protection measures are maintained by the safest betting sites and guarantee a certain degree of fairness.

What are the Georgia Gambling Laws

When it comes to gambling, Georgia has always had little tolerance for the activities. Georgia first sought to make gambling illegal in 1878, when it passed a law that banned lottery tickets. It would take more than 100 years for the lottery to be legalized, with the Georgia Lottery established in 1993.

On top of this, pari-mutuel betting on horse racing and greyhound racing is also outlawed and remains illegal to this day. In 1976, lawmakers carved out a law that allowed for the sale of tickets for a charitable raffle or bingo games, though even these are highly regulated.

Georgia’s explicit ban on gambling of all kinds has meant that those seeking to make bets with offshore bookmakers or unlicensed online casinos are breaking the law. This is despite there being no explicit law against online casinos. DFS betting is one of few exceptions, which is tolerated as it is not considered technically a game of chance.

Georgia gambling laws permit the minimum gambling age is 18. This goes for playing the lottery, bingo, and to sign up for a DFS account. All other forms of gambling in the state are illegal, although it is not illegal for residents of Georgia to travel out of state to gamble.

What is the Future of Sports Betting in Georgia?

We are hopeful that soon enough, Georgia will become a legal sport betting state. The current bill has the backing of the state’s professional sports teams, which has historically been one of the largest hurdles to overcome when trying to expand sports betting laws. We’ll keep an eye on the news for any updates.

The bill also has bipartisan support from five senators, proving that both Republicans and Democrats can see that legal Georgia sports betting will be profitable. However, until this bill is passed, we remind residents and visitors of Georgia to avoid offshore sportsbooks to place bets and instead travel to a nearby legal state. We are fairly certain legal sportsbooks will be in Georgia this upcoming year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have questions about Georgia sports betting and your legal online betting options in the state? In this section, we have answered a number of common questions that are frequently asked about Georgia’s gambling laws.