Legalized sports betting in Georgia will have to wait a little while longer after the measure was voted against by the state House of Representatives.
Voters would have been allowed to decide on whether sports betting in Georgia would be legalized in November, had the House of Representatives passed the resolution.
In the end, however, 98 House members voted against the measure, with 63 voting for it.
While the legislation of sports betting in the State wasn't guaranteed by any means, even if House Resolution 450 was passed, two-thirds approval from lawmakers was required for constitutional amendments.
The Bill would still have required two-thirds in the senate before going to voters in November this year.
State Representative Al Williams ultimately voted against the measure, which came as a major surprise given the fact he is a co-sponsor of House Resolution 450.
Al Williams surprising U-turn impacts sports betting legalization
Williams has since blamed being shut out of discussions, along with wanting casino legalization included in the measure, as reasons for his surprising U-turn.
On Friday, Williams spoke about the measure, saying: "I must admit that's one of the longest walks I've made since I've been in this legislature.
"It's not that I'm against sports betting", stated the 78-year-old: "I'm against the way this was handled. The conversation really started Monday, heated up by Wednesday, and got red hot tonight. We went from zero to 100 degrees, and I didn't have a chance to take my winter clothes off."
While Republican House members voted 49-49, Democrats provided just 14 yes voters, with 49 members voting no.
Had Williams came out and endorsed the Bill to legalize sports betting in Georgia, it is believed that many of the Democrats may have indeed voted yes on the Bill which would have gotten the measure approved.
Sports betting in Georgia looks to be in 2029 at the earliest
This turn of events means that there will not be any legal sports betting in Georgia until at least 2029. Constitutional amendments appear on the state ballots every even year, showing that a new sports betting bill cannot be presented before voters until November 2028.
Add in the time it takes for the measure to be passed, those in the state face another lengthy wait. One that might not even guarantee legalized sports betting.
Prediction markets are now accessible in Georgia, with the likes of FanDuel and DraftKings setting up their own prediction markets for sports betting within the Peach State.
After California and Texas, Georgia is the third most populous state in the United States that has not legalized sports betting.
Missouri became the latest state to make sports betting legal, with it going live in December 2025 after the measure was approved by voters.
Georgia will now have to wait a few more years before trying again.
