With just a few days left until the crucial Crossover Day at the Gold Dome, there is still hope from gaming supporters that their legislation may make it to the other chamber, with some stewardship from Rep. Ron Stephens (R-164 Savannah). Stephens has been a long-time supporter of gaming legislation, noting the possible economic development impact and shoring up of education funding, including the HOPE scholarship, that gaming revenue could provide.
Stephens described his support in a recent op-ed. “With this being the 30th anniversary of the lottery vote creating the HOPE Scholarship, more than 2 million Georgians have lifted themselves up thru a higher education and technical college careers,” Stephens wrote. “More than 1.6 million families received pre-K head starts. We will take up sports gaming in the days to come to close the gap with HOPE and pre-K. Bottom line, this will be another lottery game.”
There are an increasing number of legislators that are supporting gaming legislation, horse racing and pari-mutuel betting are expected to make it further than ever this year – including possible passage. Gambling on horse races could be considered but a short stop from regular sports betting, such as on baseball or football. Most of the state’s sports teams have supported sports betting but some legislators are skeptical of the positive impact without allowing brick-and-mortar casinos. Fans sitting in stadiums on their phones does not create the number of new jobs legislators might be hoping for.
There is at least one Atlanta-based company that would welcome the idea of legalizing sports betting in Georgia. PrizePicks is based out of Atlanta Tech Village and is a fantasy-sports platform that now has more than 100 employees, even recognized recently as one of Atlanta’s top workplaces. The company is run by Georgia natives and has concentrated much of its recruiting from local universities like UGA, Georgia Tech and Emory. The potential for PrizePicks if sports betting is allowed to move forward would be huge. The company is already doing well based on fantasy alone and betting could mean serious new revenues.
“PrizePicks welcomes the potential for legalized sports betting to come to Georgia in the near future, and looks forward to continuing to serve loyal Georgia fantasy sports enthusiasts,” said Steven Kerstein, spokesperson at PrizePicks. “As the state’s only fantasy sports operator, PrizePicks has developed a deep level of industry experience and expertise that positions the company to be a valuable collaborator to any potential legislative framework that is developed in the months ahead. We commend our state legislators for their tireless efforts in not only getting these industry initiatives near the finish line, but for their collective forward-thinking and growth-oriented attitude, and are very proud to call the state of Georgia home.”
A statewide referendum would still be required whatever the legislature passes this year but sports gaming could potentially be included with horse racing that may make the vote a little more likely, something Rep. Stephens has mentioned as a strategy before.
