In much of the US, online gambling legislation is starting to take off. Still, Georgia remains one of the nation’s most restrictive states for gamblers.

Georgia Casino Laws. Under present law, Georgia online casinos are strictly illegal. The same goes for land-based casinos, and even tribal casinos. All forms of commercial gambling are strictly illegal in the. Georgia has a total of 0 poker tables spread across 5 poker rooms. You can play a number of poker games, including NL Texas Hold'em, Limit Holdem, Texas Hold'em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha, Omaha Hi, Pineapple Poker.

At the moment, Georgia prohibits all forms of commercial gambling. This includes Georgia online casinos and sportsbooks.

According to the Georgia attorney general, even daily fantasy sports qualify as gambling. However, things are changing in the state, and Georgia sportsbooks may soon be legal.

Most Likely Georgia Online Casinos

If the state moves to legalize Georgia online casinos and online sportsbooks, many operators will join the market. The best online casinos are looking to expand everywhere in the US where gambling is legal.

The following are the likeliest candidates to establish Georgia sportsbooks and casinos.

BetMGM Casino

The MGM Resorts International corporation has been operating casinos since 1973, when it opened the MGM Grand. Since then, they’ve grown to own and operate dozens of casinos and resorts across the world.

BetMGM is the most recent of the company’s online sportsbooks platforms. BetMGM offers users online casino and sportsbook services. BetMGM’s website is compatible with both desktop and mobile devices. There’s also mobile apps available for Android and iOS.

BetMGM is currently offering its services in three US states: Nevada, West Virginia, and New Jersey. The brand is rapidly expanding to states that legalize online gambling. Should Georgia legalize online gambling, BetMGM may be one of the first Georgia sportsbooks.

DraftKings Casino

Can You Gamble Online In Georgia

DraftKings is the largest daily fantasy sports provider in the United States. The operator has also launched relatively recent online sportsbooks in three states: New Jersey, Indiana and West Virginia. DraftKings also has retail sports betting operations in several other states.

The DraftKings Sportsbook offers betting markets in the MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA, PGA, Premier League, and UEFA Champions League. It also covers the CFL, NASCAR motor sports, the XFL, and even MMA bouts.

More importantly for Georgia online casinos, DraftKings is available in every US state where DFS aren’t explicitly illegal. It has built a significant presence in Georgia. DraftKings is poised to be among the first Georgia sportsbooks, if the state legalizes sports betting.

FOX Bet Casino

FOX Bet is an innovative co-branded sports betting platform, first introduced in 2019. FOX Bet is a joint partnership between media giant FOX Broadcasting and The Stars Group. The Stars Group is the newest iteration of the PokerStars company.

The Stars Group sought to capitalize on the new legal sports betting markets in the US. They established a first-of-its-kind in America co-branding agreement with FOX. FOX Bet now offers betting markets for NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, NHL, MLS, UCL, AFP, UFC, and NCAA games.

FOX Bet is currently legal only in two US states: New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It’s extremely likely that FOX Bet will seek to expand its brand to other US states that legalize sports betting. If Georgia joins their ranks, FOX Bet is quite likely to seek growth in the Peach State.

Georgia Casino Laws

Under present law, Georgia online casinos are strictly illegal. The same goes for land-based casinos, and even tribal casinos. All forms of commercial gambling are strictly illegal in the state of Georgia.

The Georgia State Code defines gambling in a very broad fashion. All forms of betting on the results of games or contests, including card, dice and ball games, are considered gambling.

Horse and greyhound betting is also prohibited, as is maintaining a casino establishment or machines. The only forms of betting legal in Georgia are charity raffles and the Georgia State Lottery.

Many US states technically ban all forms of online sports betting, but don’t enforce this law in certain cases. Daily fantasy sports expanded through the US operating in a gray area. Some states choose to interpret them as games of skill, not chance.

This allows legal classification that circumvents gambling laws in many cases. While several DFS providers operate in the state of Georgia, the attorney general published an informal letter on the matter. In his opinion, DFS are a form of gambling, and illegal in GA.

DFS operators continue to operate in the state, perhaps testing the limits of the AG’s willingness to enforce the law. Still, it isn’t a great sign for potential Georgia online casinos.

Future Casino Legislation in Georgia

The legality of gambling may soon be changing in the Peach State. There is a lot of interest in the state regarding legalized online betting. Major stakeholders and prominent politicians have expressed their support.

Even Gov. Kemp, who rejected legal gambling during his 2018 campaign, has softened his stance. He’s recently stated that he won’t block a gambling bill sent to his desk. It’s now up to the two chambers of the Georgia legislature to figure things out.There are already some proposals on the docket. The Georgia House of Representatives introduced a bill in early 2019, HR 380, that would legalize sports betting in the state. Sports betting would be regulated by the State Lottery, with part of the revenues going to education.

Reps. Gordon, Carpenter, Mitchell, among others, introduced HR 380 the House. More recently, in late February 2020, Sens. Jones, Beach, Harbison and Lucas filed another bill in the State Senate. The bill would also legalize sports betting under the purview of the Georgia State Lottery.

Revenue allocation would also go to education, specifically through the HOPE scholarship program. It’s unclear how these two bills will play out in their corresponding legislative chambers. The House of Representatives has expressed interest in the growing market.

State Senate leadership, however, has been somewhat critical of legislation that would legalize Georgia online casinos and sportsbooks. In the meantime, the best online casinos sit on the sidelines, waiting for the opportunity to enter the Georgia market.

It’s worth noting that while both these bills intend to regulate sports betting, online casino games are not included. Legislative committees have recently studied legalizing horse race betting and commercial gambling as well. This would require a cumbersome constitutional amendment.

That’s why many stakeholders in the sports industry want sports betting to be considered individually. A bill regulating sports wagering as a lottery game is easier to pass. Many state politicians would prefer state residents to vote on the final fate of gambling in Georgia, though.

Casino Games Available

If Georgia amends the State Code to make gambling legal, the best online casinos will offer many games in the state. The following list is a summary of the most popular casino games and their present availability in Georgia.

Slots

Slot machine games are one of the most popular offers at both land-based and online casinos. There are thousands of different slot machines available, with countless themes and special features.

Slot machines featured mechanical or digital spinning reels of symbols. along an axis. Players spin the wheels, and when they stop, identical symbols aligned along certain paylines pay out cash prizes.

Class I (tribal), II (bingo), and III (slot) gaming machines are all currently illegal in Georgia. No land-based or online slot machine providers may operate in the state.

Table and Card Games

Table and card games are another staple of casinos around the planet. They include some of the most iconic casino games of all time, like the world-famous roulette.

Any Georgia online casinos would have a diversity of table games, such as craps or roulette, and card games, such as Caribbean stud, blackjack, or baccarat. Online casinos often offer both video gaming and live dealer versions of these games.

At the moment, Georgia law prohibits all forms of commercial gambling. The law specifically bans betting on the outcome of games played with cards, balls, or dice. This makes casino games like roulette, craps, or blackjack, strictly illegal in the state.

Poker Options

Modern Georgia online casinos would likely have a range of poker options available. Popular poker options in online casinos include live poker rooms and video poker game machines.

Live poker rooms feature many tournaments and open tables, filled with other real players to face off. Several kinds of poker are commonly available, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hold’em, and Seven Card Stud.

Video poker game machines usually feature many creative variations of traditional 2, 5 or 7 card draw poker games. Many incorporate progressive jackpot features, much like some online slots. Georgia state law prohibits betting on card games, which makes poker currently illegal.

Georgia Casino Apps

At the moment, no Georgia online casinos exist, so Georgia casino apps are out of the question. In the entire state, there is a single casino establishment, the Emerald Princess Casino. It’s located on a boat off of Brunswick, GA, and sails into international waters to gamble legally.

Present state law prevents the Emerald Princess, or any would-be Georgia online casinos, from creating mobile gambling apps. Until the law changes, the only kind of casino play available in Georgia is the Emerald Princess Casino.

Current bills on the floor of the state legislature only comprise online sports betting. Further legislation would be necessary to legalize Georgia online casinos.

Georgia Online Sportsbooks

Many US states now have legal sports betting sites, often the same sites that provided DFS. Much like with Georgia online casinos, though, online sportsbooks are currently illegal through the state.

All the major DFS providers offer their services in the state of Georgia, and they offer mobile apps as well. They do not offer sports betting or casino play in Georgia, though, and that’s probably not going to change any time soon.

Given the negative stance of the attorney general on DFS as gambling, they’re unlikely to complicate the situation further. Still, things are changing in Georgia. With two bills that could legalize sports betting, the first Georgia online casinos and sportsbooks may be on the horizon.

Final Thoughts on Casino Gambling in Georgia

Gambling in Georgia has never been easy, and through most of its history, it’s been downright illegal. Few exceptions exist to this day, and Georgia gamblers only have the State Lottery, charity raffles, and DFS.

That situation is rapidly evolving. In 2020, two different bills sit on the docket of the Georgia legislature. Both the Senate Bill and the House Resolution would legalize online and mobile sports betting.

While this move wouldn’t legalize Georgia online casinos, it would certainly change the conversation in the state. Going forward, positive online sportsbooks experiences in the state could help legislators consider further gambling legalization.

Legalizing online casinos in Georgia will be an uphill battle. They would likely require an amendment to the Georgia State Code, which needs a ballot vote for public ratification. All things considered, online casinos in the state of Georgia are still far off into the future.

The state of gambling in Georgia is a sad, sad thing. At present, there is exactly one avenue for residents to take – the Emerald Princess Casino, a cruise out of Brunswick with 220 slot machines.

Online Casino Georgia

Until 2015, there was also the Tradewinds casino cruise out of Savannah, but after the state revoked the boat’s inspection certificates, the operation disappeared for good. Even its website is for sale.

The simple truth is that Georgia has some of the strictest and most absolute laws against gambling in the United States. Obviously, these laws extend to casinos, poker, and sports betting in Georgia. There’s even a prohibition on horse racing and dog racing – which is something of a rarity, even in prohibitive states. Of course, like most states with strict anti-gambling laws, Georgia offers its residents a state lottery option. This just never makes any sense because gambling is gambling.

Online Gambling In Georgia

However, hope remains in the Peach State. The 2017 state legislative session saw the introduction of a bill to bring two casinos to Georgia – one in Atlanta and one in Savannah, Columbus, or Augusta. The bill went nowhere and died in February.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Brandon Beach and Rep. Ron Stephens, is such a delicate issue that the word “casino” isn’t even in the bill. Instead, the proposal calls for the establishment of two “destination resorts.” One resort (the Atlanta location) would require a $2 billion investment. The other resort would only cost a mere $450 million.

So, it’s possible Georgians will have some gambling options within their state in the near future. For right now, Georgians are also aided by the state’s proximity to Florida and Mississippi, which can offer casinos in decent driving distance. Below is the information for Emerald Princess and the four closest casinos to Georgia’s state lines.

Latest Updates

Last updated: June 23, 2020

The Senate Special Judiciary Committee recently added sports betting language onto a traffic ticketing bill (HB 903) that passed the House in March. Lawmakers are hopefully sports betting can bring back revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure now moves to the Senate floor for further discussion.

Sweepstakes casinos in Georgia

Social casino site options

Georgia Gambling Laws

Social casino sites are likely the best option for Georgians to pursue their desire to gamble in peace. At present, the big apps – Zynga, Slotomania, Big Fish, and Double Down Casino – are all available via Facebook and the various app stores.

According to the most recent available data, Double Down Casino is the most-used site that featured slot machine play to its patrons. A whopping 6.1 million users a month visited Double Down two years ago, and those numbers have likely gone up since. Double Down offers over 60 different games to site visitors, all for free. For fans of table games, Double Down also has video poker, blackjack, roulette, bingo, and poker available.

Georgians can also make use of MyVegas, MGM’s free comps site. Though they will have to travel to redeem any of their loyalty points, it is still an attractive option. Ultimately, Georgians maintain the same options as everyone else. The shame of it is that these options are, as of right now, the best it gets in Georgia for gambling. (At least until the legislature makes a move.)

Land-based slots options

Online Gambling Georgia Law

Online gambling options

As can be expected in a state with stringent land-based gambling laws, Georgia does not have legal online gambling.

However, due to the relative recency of online gambling’s arrival on the scene, there is no specific law banning it either. So, Georgia residents can find options in out-of-state (and probably out-of-country) sites. However, they shouldn’t expect open arms and welcome within the power structure of the state.

Operator profile

Emerald Princess Casino

Emerald Princess Casino is a five-night-per-week casino cruise that docks at Brunswick, Georgia.

Online Gambling Georgia Laws

It is the only option for gambling within state lines in Georgia. The boat itself is a 200-foot vessel with four decks. There are two for gaming, one for dining, and an observation deck. Each night, the boat sails into international waters to allow patrons to gamble beyond the reach of Georgia state law.

Within the two gambling decks, the cruise offers 200 slot machines, 12 blackjack tables, eight poker tables, two roulette wheels, and a craps table. Players pay a $10 entry fee, and cruises last for five-hour segments. The minimum age for entry is 18, and patrons must show a photo ID to enter. The cruise is operated by Golden Isles Cruise Lines, whose sole holding is this cruise. Reviews for the cruise are fair to good.

And that’s it, really. The truly best options for gamblers in Georgia are either the two Harrah’s Cherokee casinos in North Carolina (for northern Georgia) or Florida’s casinos in the Panhandle or Jacksonville (for southern Georgia).

Georgians in the western part of the state can also drive to tribal casinos in Alabama. The best bet for Georgia gamblers right now is to lobby their state representatives and senators to pass the bill before the legislature.The bill would put a casino in Atlanta (likely near Hartsfield International Airport) and another one in one of the other cities.

State legal environment

Casinos In Georgia Area