Is Online Betting Legal In Georgia

Legal online gambling options vary state by state. On this page, you'll find the first comprehensive guide to legal betting in all 50 states. In Rajasthan, online gambling is not illegal but betting sites are highly encrypted and this makes the process of betting more tricky than you would like.

1. Is Online Gambling Legal In Ga
2. Is Online Betting Legal In Georgia

Legal Georgia sports betting is easy if you use an online sportsbook. Sign up for free at Bovada and BetOnline to legally bet on sports in Georgia. Here you can find all the latest betting news. We cover the news that relates to the legality of betting in the United States with a focus on online sports bett.

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

Contents

• What Betting Options are Legal for Georgia Residents
• Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Is online gambling and sports betting legal in Georgia?

No, online gambling and sports betting are not legal in the state of Georgia. However, both could be changed in one swoop if the current law seeking to legalize mobile sports betting in the state is passed. We recommend trying some online social gambling games or DFS.

What is the Georgia legal gambling age?

The minimum gambling age in Georgia is 18 years old. This is the same age for the state lottery, to play bingo games and to sign up for a daily fantasy sports account. Georgia has strict rules regarding this, so we stress that underage players do not illegally gamble.

Are offshore bookmaker sites legal and safe?

No, offshore bookmakers are neither legal nor safe in the state of Georgia. The state has outlawed most forms of gambling and will punish those caught breaking the law. Until these websites are licensed and regulated in Georgia, we suggest you avoid these websites.

Can I use the FanDuel or DraftKings app in Georgia?

Both FanDuel and DraftKings are available in Georgia, though you can currently only use them to access their daily fantasy sports offerings. In the case that mobile sports betting is legalized with a new law, we believe either could make for the perfect legal Georgia sports betting app, with which to bet on the NFL and other major sports.

With the trend of sports betting popping up in a legal manner all across the country, the unfortunate truth is that land-based sports betting for Georgia residents does not exist. However, there are still options to place a bet on the Falcons, Bulldogs, Yellow Jackets, Hawks, or any other team you are supporting.

Because the state is considered a deep-south conservative state, the likelihood that Georgia sportsbooks appearing in the near future are slim. But the aforementioned betting options can be found through various online betting sites that are not only legal but safe for Georgia residents to use. These sites - as Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI have all been in the industry for a decade or more and have proven their reliability with prompt payments, excellent customer service, and better promotions than you could find anywhere.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of reviewing those online betting sites (promotion codes included), it is important to have a strong background in the laws and outlook of legal sports betting in Georgia. If you have any questions on the matter, we should be able to answer it in the next few paragraphs, or at the bottom of the page in the FAQs. There is a lot of information but at the end of the guide, you will be able to confidently wager on any team you desire without the fear of irrational consequences.

Legal Georgia March Madness Betting

Legal March Madness betting in Georgia is about to be wild. The number one thing that players will look for is somewhere where they can bet what they want and have great odds for them. Bovada, Sportsbetting, MyBookie, and other sites have the best odds and will have more betting options for players to choose from. One thing about college basketball games is there will be some upsets that will happen but the good thing is money will be paid out to all players who bet big on these sites. All types of bets like live betting, parlay bets, prop bets, and others will be here for them to take advantage of.

Legal Sports Betting Sites Accepting Georgia Residents

In addition to looking into the rules and laws of sports gambling on the internet, we had also looked at the various sportsbooks that you can use for your wagering purposes. If you decide to start playing the odds, you will be able to do so fairly easily as we have determined these betting sites – Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI are the best when it comes to this purpose - to be your most effective options.

If you read on into the next few sections, you will see that we have highlighted the profitability of the betting odds, the bonuses, as well as the number of the deposit options that can be found at our most highly recommended offshore sportsbook websites. Only the highest level of sportsbooks welcoming Georgia residents can ever be added into our list, so if you find a site profiled anywhere here at SportsBettingGeorgia.com, you can be confident that it’s a sportsbook that you can trust.

BetOnline - Georgia Friendly, Must Meet GA Betting Age

Residents in the state of Georgia are gladly accepted within BetOnline's sportsbook, as it is one of the few places where they can legally put money on a variety of different teams across the full range of sports played in the United State and around the globe. If you open up an account with BetOnline, their mobile-based sportsbook makes gambling in Georgia even easier not having to be glued to your computer. This opens the door to a whole new market of sports bettors. Check out their promotions, which are constantly changing. For first time depositors, use the code BOL1000 to have your first deposit matched by 50% (up to $1,000).

Bovada - Live Betting + Mobile Betting Platforms

This leading legal online betting site is sure to meet the needs of every type of sports bettor, from season veterans to newcomers just trying out the sports wagering hobby for the first time. Bovada has a huge supply of available betting odds, plus wager types to make it fun and exciting for their account holders to take a chance to win big by correctly picking winners. They offer some great prop betting odds that you won't find anywhere else too. When you sign up, you will automatically be granted with a 50% match (up to $250). If you are betting from your phone, consider this benefit – your first bet (if it is a loss) will be refunded (up to $50).

SportsBetting - Full Sportsbook, Casino, + Poker Room

Georgia players should definitely try the live betting section at SportsBetting.ag. It's worth checking out, as this area of the sportsbook features some great betting odds, and really puts a new looking on how to bet on sports. It's as if you were at the game and making wagers right as the action unfolds in front of you. That is just one of the available options that SportsBetting gives players in the U.S., those living in Georgia included. Outside of that, their customer service is excellent – the best in the business. If you have cryptocurrency, consider signing up with this operator. They offer a 100% match on your first Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, DASH, Ethereum, or Litecoin deposit. Just use the code 100CRYPTO to double your account balance (up to $1,000).

Is Sports Betting Legal in Georgia?

For starters, gambling on the internet is not mentioned anywhere in the state statutes or codebook. This failure to prohibit online gambling allows you to legally wager on sports in Georgia with these offshore providers. Keep in mind that the operators must be located in a different country for you not to be breaking any laws.

When it comes to land-based gambling, Section 16-12-20 explains the prohibition of gambling in the state. Check out the state’s legislative page, which details the codes. These laws describe “betting upon the final result of any game or contest, or upon games played with cards, dice, or balls, in order to win money or other things of value” as a prohibited act, and that even includes wagering activities like horse racing.

Have Legislators Made Attempts To Legalize Sports Betting In Georgia?

While it is true that Georgia’s politicians and lawmakers have no federal legal barrier stopping them from passing laws to legalize sports betting, we have to believe that other forms of gambling would have to be legalized first, as they have in other states, including the nearby Mississippi gaming industry. It certainly seems as though there may never be legal land-based sports betting for Georgia residents, but nobody knows for sure. The legislators have made very limited notions that they have any interest in creating a land-based industry. Still, we don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to assume that your best bet for placing wagers on sports will be to simply stick to what works: legal offshore sports betting sites like our most highly rated picks in the industry.

Cities With Sportsbooks In Georgia

Though there are not any cities with sportsbooks welcoming Georgia residents, the truth is that there are several nearby cities with casinos that would make ideal sports betting outlets that would primarily or at least partially provide their services to Georgia residents. Among the Georgia cities with de facto sportsbook locations are the Atlanta and other major cities like Columbus, Albany and Savannah. At the corresponding pages for each city, we will take a closer look at the casinos in neighboring states that would provide ideal locations for sportsbooks in the near future.

Georgia Sports Betting & Gambling Laws

Placing sports wagers in the state of Georgia is not something that has been criminalized. While the state has written a lengthy list of various gambling laws, nothing has been written to actually criminalize this activity, as only gambling businesses have been banned, not individuals that want to bet. We can assure you that you will not be likely to face a rebuke from the long arm of the law just for trying to place a few bets your favorite teams, athletes or sports, and you will be able to freely do so as there is no explicit ban against online sports gambling in the state of Georgia.

On the federal level, you may have heard of two laws that make people believe that internet gambling is illegal – don’t listen to the noise. The first law, the Wire Act, prevents sportsbooks from accepting wagers across state lines. This only matters for state-run operators and has no jurisdiction over the offshore operators. The other law, UIGEA, prevents US banks from processing payments for overseas sportsbooks. This can hinder your ability to use a credit card when making a deposit, but there is nothing that put in the middle of a criminal battle. Notice that both of these laws target the business and not the gambler.

Legal Gambling Age For Georgia Residents

To bet on sports in Georgia, you will have to wait until you are old enough to do so. The age limit has been set at 21, and you are not allowed to bet on sports if you have not reached this age. Attempting to do so could potentially lead to the complete confiscation of your funds if you try to place wagers on sports under that age. This is true even if you are 18, which is the minimum legal gambling age at offshore sportsbook sites such as Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI. There is simply too much at stake for us to suggest that our readers try to place wagers on sports before they have reached at least their 21st birthday.

Mobile Sports Betting Sites In Georgia

Mobile sports betting sites in Georgia are a peach. They are online sportsbooks that are legal for the residents of the state to use. These sports wagering websites offer their members a number of odds, bets, and statistical information on the NFL teams and players around the country. These websites are licensed and regulated to do business making them safe options for sports bettors in the US. They are also 100% legal. Some of the most highly recommended websites to wager on sports include MyBookie, BetOnline, and SportsBetting. These websites have everything a sports bettor could ask for and they all can be accessed with a cellphone. This means that no matter where a gambler is, they can take their phone out and place bets on whatever game they want.

Live Betting In Georgia

Is Online Gambling Legal In Ga

Bettors in Georgia can enjoy live betting on the NFL in their state. Live betting is a feature that gives players the opportunity to bet on games in real-time. Oddsmakers are changing and updating bet lines between quarters, halftimes, and natural stoppages through the games which give you plenty of chances to win a bet based on the current momentum of the game. So, whether you are an Atlanta Falcons or any other NFL team fan, these bets come in handy for bettors that know how games can have one play or drive change the direction of the rest of the game. Using the many offshore sportsbooks offered to Georgia residents, you can take advantage of the unique experience of live betting.

Is Online Betting Legal In Georgia

Betting On The NFL In Georgia

Georgia does not have state-regulated sportsbooks but residents can still bet on the NFL in the state. With multiple offshore betting sites available, players can win cash prizes on all the best Sunday football games. These sportsbooks do not operate under US or Georgia state law so bettors can wager the NFL with no worry of legal consequences. Each of the sports betting sites provides various bet bets such as money lines, point spread, futures bets. Georgia bettors can take part in the growing sports betting industry and bet on the most popular sport in America even without having legal land-based sportsbooks in the state.

Land Based Gambling In Georgia

Georgia residents do not really have any options for gambling at locations or websites that are actually based inside the state lines. There are a pair of casino cruises and a statewide lottery (the proceeds of which are primarily used to support education programs), but that is well and truly it. One of the casino cruise boats sails out from Brunswick while the other sails from Savannah, and if the boats reach into international waters you could, in theory, then place wagers on sports. Otherwise, you have to turn to the web in order to play the odds or even just to bet on the Atlanta Falcons or any of the other teams that are popular with enthusiasts of outlets providing sports betting for Georgia residents.

FAQ About Online Sports Betting In Georgia

1) Why doesn't Georgia regulate any gambling options?

Though there is really no clear indication as to why Georgia’s lawmakers have consistently decided over the years not to regulate any gambling options, and, more importantly, to tax them, perhaps this peculiarity is due to the nature of the state as a bastion of deeply conservative political and social thought. Georgia's stance against gambling is fairly deep-seated, but this too could change – theoretically anyway – as younger politicians are elected. Now that PASPA has been struck down by the US Supreme Court there is no law at the federal level that could stop Georgia from passing laws to regulate and legalize sports betting and other forms of wagering as well, but whether or not this will actually take place is an entirely different matter altogether.

2) Where can I locate the gambling laws of the state?

Georgia's legislature has listed all of the laws in the state Code on the state’s website. This will give you all the information that you need from a legal perspective as to the gambling laws of the state of Georgia.

3) When I try to use my credit card, it is repeatedly rejected. How can I fund my account if my credit card fails?

Every sportsbook accepts its own list of funding methods. E-checks, e-wallets, and similar options can all be found by way of the sportsbooks. However, the best way to fund your wagering account at a legal offshore sportsbook site such as Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, or BetDSI is to use Bitcoin or any of the other cryptocurrencies that are accepted there.

4) Does making deposits or withdrawals make you liable for a crime under the UIGEA?

We get asked some variant of this question all the time, it seems like, but the answer is a definitively a resounding “No,” we are happy to report. Only gambling site operators and financial processors can be subject to criminal charges under the prohibitions imposed by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Nowadays, most legal offshore sports betting sites utilize their own in-house financial processing services, so there are typically not even any problems with using your credit card to make deposits anymore, but we nevertheless recommend for our readers to use Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency to be absolutely certain that you will not run into any problems bankrolling your account.

5) How fast do withdrawals take to ship my money back into my account?

You will generally have your winnings shipped back in less than two weeks’ time if you use any method of collecting a payout available through the legal offshore sportsbook leaders Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI. However, the fastest two methods available are bank wire transfers, which take a few days tops before your funds are available in your bank account or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Dash, Ethereum or, hopefully soon, Cardano. Using either of those two methods will generally keep you from having to wait too long before your money is available.

6) I have heard of withdrawal checks bouncing. Is this a possibility with your sportsbooks?

One of the very best reasons to use a legal overseas-based sports betting site such as Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI is because of their reliability when it comes to collecting your winnings after requesting a withdrawal of funds. Although we continue to recommend Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as the preferred method for collecting your payouts, we have made it a point in our guide to sites that offer sports betting for Georgia residents to make sure that all withdrawals will be totally safe. Checks coming from these five sites will never – and we do mean never – bounce.

7) Is Bovada legal in Georgia?

Georgia residents can legally gamble through Bovada without having to worry about getting into trouble. You will not face any trouble with Bovada as it is an approved legal Georgia sports betting site. Technically speaking, there is no law in Georgia that would ban individuals that live in the Peach State or are visiting there from placing wagers at online operators, which means that overseas online-only sportsbook sites are the best and only means of betting on your favorite sports.

8) Is it possible for my credit card information to be stolen from my gambling site?

No – we will leave it at that. We can assure you that you will never have to worry about being stolen from if you decide to place your bets with the best USA sportsbooks. Sites such as Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI all have security protocols that would make even the world-famous casino sportsbooks on the Las Vegas Strip look like amateurs, so you can bet with confidence knowing your sensitive financial information is safe at these 100 percent legal, licensed and reputable sportsbook outlets.

9) Are e-checks a safe deposit method?

No. Unfortunately, most online sportsbooks, especially those open to Georgia, no longer accept deposits through an eCheck / ACH transfer. But there is good news as some bookmakers do use this method as a form of payment, and it usually has some of the highest limits and the fastest payout times available through any method. Still, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dash have eclipsed most other deposit methods in terms of quick turnaround times and security as well.

10) Has anyone in Georgia ever been incarcerated for gambling on sports over the Internet?

As far as our research has been able to uncover, we have not been able to find any evidence that a single Georgia sports bettor has ever been arrested for gambling online. That includes all forms of gambling like online casinos, online poker rooms and certainly with sports betting sites that welcome GA residents. Fortunately for gambling enthusiasts in the Empire State of the South, leading online sportsbook operators based in foreign countries – and we think Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, and BetDSI stand a head and shoulders above the competition – are all completely safe outlets providing the opportunity for sports betting for Georgia residents.