It's officially back to square one for Georgia and its sports betting push, which only adds to the frustration that keeps coming in for fans out there. In recent months, there was plenty of excitement as the HR 450 sports betting bill arrived and there was hope that things would pass and people could move forward with their betting needs. However, when things finally came to a vote, nothing but bad news came in and Georgia's latest sports betting setback leaves future plans unclear.

That's because while there were 63 people in favor of getting the sports betting approved, there were 98 people who were against it, which resulted in this failing in miserable fashion. This particular sports betting bill was brought up by Republican Marcus Wiedower, and at first it seemed like he was getting plenty of support. However, things didn't go to plan there and nothing but frustration has arrived since then.

“Here is something that has no reason in the world that it couldn’t work if we worked together," Democrat Al Williams said via a recent article from reporter Robert Lineman. "This is in need of bipartisan support. To get bipartisan support, you need to let the folks on this side of the aisle have some say on how this money will be divided."

From the looks of that quote from Williams, it seems like there was a division between the Republicans and Democrats on how the money would be distributed within the state. Per Wiedower's plan, the Georgia sports betting would have been taxed at an 8.5 percent rate, which seemed like a reasonable amount. In the end, however, the two sides couldn't meet in the middle on things overall, which led to the recent disappointing news coming in.

What's next for Georgia's push to get sports betting legalized?

A big question that people have moving forward right now is what's next for Georgia's push to get sports betting legalized? We wish we had a clear and cut answer for you there, but things feel like they are more uncertain than ever before. That's because with HR 450 not getting the needed votes to get things made official, things are now indeed back to the drawing board, as a new sports betting bill will need to be put in place.

Not only that, but it seems like the important thing that's needed more than anything is that the Republican lawmakers and Democrats will need to make sure everyone is on the same page with the finer details in that specific bill. This is a problem we've seen in other states too, as the division between the two sides has been stalling things so much in unnecessary fashion. Will the next bill solve things there?

There was also the House Bill 686 that was on the table for everyone to discuss, but that's also out the window too. Now, with the legislative session closing, the door is now shut for legal sports betting to arrive in 2026. This truly is another blow for those efforts, as people throughout the state are getting frustrated that this continues to be a problem. In recent years, it feels like whenever things move in a positive direction, negative news arrives.

So, will 2027 be the year when things get approved or are people going to have to wait until 2028 or 2029? Unfortunately, that's all unclear - for now. Things could change if the right kind of bill is put in place, but until that happens, lawmakers are going to have to worry about illegal, unregulated betting continuing to be an issue. This is something that's expected to be a big problem for World Cup betting, as Atlanta is among the host cities in the USA.

Illegal betting is a growing problem in Georgia for the major sports teams

Speaking of that, there's no question that illegal betting is a growing problem in Georgia for the major sports teams. This isn't a stunner at all, as Atlanta in particular is home of the Braves, Falcons, Hawks and more. At this time of the year, the NBA betting sites and MLB betting sites take center stage, but things in the fall are always focused on the Falcons and NFL betting.

College football is of course massive in the state as well, as Georgia has a massive following in Athens and there's always a ton of pressure on Kirby Smart to deliver. With pro sports in particular, however, we are seeing people in Georgia place bets either through an illegal bookie, or through an offshore account.This is something local authorities have been trying to crack down on, but they're not having much success.

The way this can get wiped away would be for legal in-person and online sports betting to arrive. This is certainly becoming easier said than done for the state of Georgia, as time and time again the attempts to get the green light have been unsuccessful. We'll be following things closely here, but it's a bummer for so many people that nothing but negative updates have been coming in on this. It will be interesting to see if that will change within the next year or not.