Is Online Gambling Legal In Georgia

State By State Legal US Gambling Guide For 2020. We've compiled this legal online betting guide for US players arranged by state, to provide accurate and up to date information on the legal online gambling status and gaming options available within each US state. 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.

1. Is Online Gambling Legal In Georgia Secretary Of State
2. Is Online Gambling Legal In Georgia Unemployment

Those who live in Georgia and want to place a few bucks down on a chance will not have as many opportunities as those in other states. There are only a few legal, land based venues throughout the state to offer players a chance to gamble such as the state lottery, a handful of Bingo halls and one casino boat. This does not however, mean that locals of the Peach State must jump in the car and drive to a bordering state for fun.

With the vastness of the internet comes a smorgasbord of legal options where any Georgia resident may feel free to wager to their heart’s content. Whether it is the thrill of a virtual casino, a hot game of online poker or a sports betting site filled with propositions, users in Georgia are able to find their preferred means of winning. This page will serve as a guide to all those looking for the best online gambling sites that are safe, secure and above all else, legal.

With laws such as the Federal Wire Act and the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), sports bettors must never engage in the business of gambling or facilitating bets for profit. While US regulation strictly forbids this, bettors may place a wager on their favorite teams and players. It is only the venues in which to do so that are now hard to come by for sports fans with only a handful of locations in places such as Las Vegas available. Georgia fans must turn to other means to satiate their betting endeavors.

Local laws are much the same as federal policies that govern the entire nation. While 'Commercial Gambling' is illegal, the simple act of placing a bet for personal winnings is not. There may be no sportsbooks available within the Peach State but due to the lack of mention of the internet in regards to sports betting, there are plenty of options when it comes to legal gambling in Georgia.

There are no land based betting options available to Georgia residents. Locals must turn to legal online sportsbooks for Georgia players to make a wager on the Dawgs or Yellow Jackets if they wish to remain within the rule of law. With the only parameter for legality being an online sportsbook’s location outside of both federal and state jurisdictions, there are numerous options. All of our top recommended online sportsbooks are located in such places as nearby Canada and offer a chance for legal sports betting from the comfort of any Georgia home.

Go To: Legal Sports Betting Sites For Georgia Bettors

Georgia residents are free to visit an online casino if they visit only legal venues. This requires a brief review of federal and state policies that thankfully allow for locals to visit and wager upon any site that is located outside of both federal and state jurisdictions. If a player is not engaged in the business of gambling and is visiting a network based outside of the United States, they are within the realm of law.

Our federal laws target those who operate online gambling businesses within the United States and not mere participants. This erases any hope for a local network to facilitate bets for those in Georgia but it does not eliminate those sites that are located elsewhere.

Georgia’s state constitution follows the federal rule of thumb as well with the only targets of gambling investigation or enforcement being facilitators and operators located within state jurisdiction. Commercial gambling is a felony; however, authorities typically ignore those who participate in online games that are only for personal winnings. Georgia does not appear to attack any citizen for pulling the lever on a virtual slot machine provided it is located elsewhere.

Georgia only supplies one land-based betting option for their citizens within its borders. The Emerald Princess Dinner & Casino Cruise departs from Brunswick every day to travel three miles into international waters for legal casino games such as slots and blackjack. This is hardly a viable option for many as departure times are difficult to match up with a preferred schedule let alone the time required to set aside for an excursion into the Atlantic Ocean that one must commit to. It’s a good thing that legal online casinos for Georgia residents provide such a strong option – they are seemingly the only one.

Luckily, Georgia residents are able to play all of their favorite casino games from the comfort and safety of home without having to travel. Our recommended online casinos feature all of the wagering options one might find under the bright lights of Las Vegas, in a legal manner right here in Georgia.

Go To: Legal Online Casinos For Georgia Residents

As is the case with gambling at an online casino, there are federal and local laws to take into account before stacking up the chips. The Federal Wire Act and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) both played a hand in hampering sites from operating from within U.S. borders but did little to affect those legal sites which operate from foreign locations. The business of gambling and facilitating bets is illegal here, but not elsewhere. Since the mere act of placing a bet in a card game is legal, anyone in Georgia may to visit an offshore site and wager in a hand of Texas Hold ‘Em or Omaha.

The State’s local policies may hold a dim view on gambling in general within the state with only one legal live card room available, but Georgia’s constitution does not mention the internet in any way. Since online poker remains unregulated, there is nothing preventing a player from simply following the federal laws and visiting legal sites based outside of the United States.

It is a stroke of good luck for card players in Georgia that they are indeed able to visit and play upon Georgia online poker rooms since the one and only card room in the Peach State spends the majority of its time in the Atlantic Ocean. The Emerald Princess Dinner & Casino Cruise departs daily into international waters from Brunswick and is oftentimes hard to make a reservation to board. While it is nice to have the option when free time allows, most players in Georgia elect to play their favorite card game for real money from the comfort of their own home over the internet.

Our recommended online poker rooms exist outside of both federal and state jurisdiction and are available for legal use to any resident of the Peach State.

Go To: Legal Poker Sites For Georgia Players

Is Online Gambling Legal In Georgia Secretary Of State

With so many options for legal Georgia gambling, it may be a bit overwhelming to find the best sites to do so. We have taken it upon ourselves to discover the very best in online casinos, online poker and online sports betting for all those in Georgia looking to score a big win. Our favorites are located outside of both Georgia and Federal jurisdictions as well as offer safe and secure networks where financial transactions are guaranteed along with ample customer support, privacy and discretion. Many of these sites have been in business for decades and despite their foreign locations, are of a specific design just for U.S. players.

Is Online Gambling Legal In Georgia Unemployment

One of our favorite online gambling sites is the fantastic network found at Bovada.lv. Having initially started as an American site, changing interpretations of our federal regulations forced them to move to Canada. Based well outside of U.S. regulation, this online gambling site continues to serve the American public through its stellar online casino, join the largest online poker network in the country as well as an online sportsbook that rivals if not surpasses those found in Las Vegas.

With powerful endorsements from such brands as ESPN, USA Today and Yahoo Sports, players from every corner of Georgia are able to visit Bovada safely and legally without worry or concern for breaking any laws. Deposits and payouts at this online gambling site also boast efficient and secure transactions as users in Georgia are able to receive a check of their winnings within four to seven business days. With every form of gambling covered under one site, it is no secret why Peach State players find themselves members with Bovada's all-inclusive gaming site.

An Overview of Gambling Laws in the State Of Georgia

Georgia is not a gambling-friendly State – in fact on a scale of restrictions and punishments for those organizing the games, this State sits just behind Utah and Hawaii in the ‘Least Gambling-Friendly State’ league. Residents do have a lottery, and can gamble on charity bingo games or even enter poker leagues with no player buy-ins. For casino or betting Georgians will either need to cross State borders or go out to see on one of two Casino cruises that operate in International waters off of the coast. This guide to Georgia gambling laws has all the information you need.

First below, you will find a quick-fire history of the gambling legislation of Georgia. On this page is will read more like a chronology of when things were banned than anything else. After that there is a game-by-game guide, which outlines the different options for different forms of gambling. Next you will find a timeline and snippets from the current legislation – followed by a summary and look into the future at the bottom of this page.

Georgia Gambling Laws – A Brief History

This has always been a conservative State, and the history of gambling is one of crack-downs and reigning in of unlicensed operators. The first gambling was from the heyday of Southern lotteries which were in the 1800’s – lead by southern neighbor Louisiana. In 1878 Georgia passed a law banning the sale of lottery tickets, and it would be more than 100 years before a modern State lottery was set up – the first draw taking place in 1993.

While many surrounding States legalized horse and / or greyhound race betting via pooled or Pari-Mutuel machines – Georgia stood firm. It would be 1976 before the first limited carve-out was instigated. This was for charity bingo and raffles – and is tightly licensed even today.

What you will find in this State is a history of residents finding a way to gamble regardless of what the State does. This included online gambling and poker, which like in many States is not specifically banned – but is assumed to come under the wide anti-gambling remit of the State. There have also been some more creative efforts.

The most successful of these are ‘cruises to nowhere’ which take place from the Georgia coast. You get into a ship, sail out to international waters – where you can legally gamble. There are currently 2 such boats operating.

After South Carolina banned Video Poker machines – a flood of these devices found their way to Georgia. A loophole in the law involving payouts via tickets meant that they were legal – at least in the opinion of the operators. The government lost no time on this one, pushing through some legislation which made the machines completely illegal in 2002.

Like in other States, internet cafes have appeared which are used as quasi-casinos. These underground establishments provide gambling to a lot of people. In 2011 they caught the eye of the State prosecutors – who have been busy cracking down on them ever since.

With the Republican senate voting (narrowly) in 2012 to establish a casino which would pay for education, there is some hope for the future. That particular bill was not signed, though there is hope for both casino and horse racing over the next few years. The consensus among experts is that internet gambling is not on the cards any time soon.

An Overview of Which Gambling Games Are Legal

Casino Games: No, though there is some hope on this front with a small majority of Republican senators in Georgia voting to allow a casino to be built – with profits funding the community college program. This was put on hold by Governor Nathan Deal, who said a bigger majority was needed. You can enjoy casino cruises from Georgia which sail out to international waters in order to host gambling games.

Online Casinos: No, there is nothing explicitly banning internet gambling in Georgia, however the general definitions of bets and gambling devices are wide enough that it is assumed they cover this.

Live Poker: No, you can‘t play poker for money, however there are bar poker free-entry games and leagues where prizes can be won without having to pay an entry fee. The bars add the prizes, and make their money back from the additional drinkers in their bars.

Online Poker: No, it is not expected that Georgia will join the list of States regulating online poker at any point soon.

Sports Betting: No, unlike other States there is not even pari-mutuel horse and dog racing allowed. Since this kind of racing can‘t take place on boats the only options are to travel West to Arkansas or South to Florida.

Lottery Betting: Yes, there has been a lottery since 1992, which has proven to be very popular among residents.

Bingo Games: Yes, charity bingo games and raffles are permitted in Georgia.

Georgia Gambling Laws – Key Statutes and Legal Timeline

While the history of gambling goes way back to the Southern Lotteries of the 1840’s – more recent legislation has been almost completely anti-gambling. The State code criminalizes the act of betting and owning a ‘gambling device’ even if that device has never been used for gambling.

Here are the key parts of the current State legislation:

[su_quote cite=”Chapter 16-12-20″ url=”http://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-16/chapter-12/article-2/part-1/16-12-20″]”Bet” means an agreement that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value…[/su_quote]

This is the very strict part covering Gambling Devices:

[su_quote]Any contrivance which for a consideration affords the player an opportunity to obtain money or other thing of value, the award of which is determined by chance even though accompanied by some skill, whether or not the prize is automatically paid by contrivance;[/su_quote] (the code goes on to mention specific machines)

The one silver-lining in an otherwise extremely tough anti-gambling code is that the individual players caught gambling are only guilty of a misdemeanor. Those organizing or earning money from illegal gambling activity are treated far more harshly.

Here is a timeline of key gambling legislation events in Georgia:

1976: A constitutional amendment legalizes Bingo for non-profit organizations with strictly limited terms and prizes not exceeding $1500 per day or $3000 per week.

1992: Georgia Lottery created, with the first draw taking place on June the 39th 1993. Profits from this are used to enhance education funding in the State.

2000: Legal loophole sees the proliferation of Video Poker machines throughout the State, this is abruptly closed in 2002.

2011: Crackdown on Internet cafes which were set up as gambling outlets announced.

2012: The Senate vote to establish a casino with the intention of funding the community college program. This follows a model already working well in neighboring Arkansas. The bill was not signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal, who reportedly wanted to see a larger majority in favor before proceeding.

Georgia Gambling Laws – Summary and Future Outlook

Things are difficult for Georgia residents, with very few options for gambling that do not involve either playing bingo or leaving the State borders. Tentative steps towards opening a State casino still face opposition – though momentum does seem to be building faster for horse racing.

This State will likely be the last to embrace online gambling – possibly only ahead of Utah. One thing is for certain in GA, the residents are creative, and will come up with some way or another of staying ahead of the law and enjoying the online games.

Useful Resources:

Early History of The Southern Lotteries (covers several States)

Charity Gambling Laws

GA Code (Need to drill down to find the gambling laws, only the main URL works for visits)

Summary Of Laws