Georgia, as most states in the U.S. will assert, needs novel ways to boost its domestic economy as reliance on federal assistance slowly dwindles. To that end, and based on the growing attention given to sports gambling in the country, a push has begun to bring legalized sports wagers to the Peach State. It’s a contentious, divisive subject, due to Georgia’s deep roots in religion; however, some surveys have already shown that many state residents would welcome the activity. Partially based on that support, a new bill has surfaced that would allow the Georgia State Lottery to oversee mobile sports gambling. This, according to the bill’s sponsor, would preclude the necessity of sending voters to the polls to change the state’s constitution.

Senator Burt Jones believes that existing state statutes can be rewritten to allow for “the lottery game of sports wagering.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, his Senate Bill 403 (SB 403) would allow Georgia to ramp up its sports gambling operations quicker, providing a mechanism to capture some of what Jones asserts to be a $1.5-billion illegal sports gambling market in the state.

Jones adds, “It’s going on currently. And so we feel like — much like the internet sales tax — that it’s just an opportunity for us to capitalize on an entity that’s already operating.”

Should SB 403 be approved as is, sportsbooks would be on the hook for a tax of 20% on their income. 15% of this would go to the state’s HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) scholarship program, and the remainder would be used to treat gambling addiction through Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Anyone wanting to place a bet would have to be at least 21 years old.