Just how serious is Stacey Abrams about legalizing sports betting in Georgia? So serious, she might be staking her chances to become the next governor of the Peach State on it.
On some level, this doesn't come as a huge surprise. For the longest time, Stacey Abrams has wanted to bring sports betting to Georgia. But there's a difference between supporting it and actually leveraging your entire campaign in favor of it. Abrams, the democratic nominee for governor in the upcoming November elections, has unequivocally committed to the latter.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the "Democrat’s campaign rolled out a round of 15-second and 30-second ads targeting voters who visit online betting sites and webpages linked to the University of Georgia’s top-ranked team." The goal? Reaching prospective voters who not only want legal sports betting in Georgia, but who are already wagering on sports in Georgia anyway.
Will her tactics work in her bid to unseat republican incumbent governor Brian Kemp?
Stacey Abrams Proves Sports Betting Already Happens in Georgia
The idea of a candidate for governor trying to reach voters who are technically breaking the law is quite comical. In doing so, though, Stacey Abrams effectively proves two points.
First and foremost, this shows that Georgia sports betting already has a market. Domestic retail sportsbooks may not have the go-ahead to operate within the Peach State's lines, but there are plenty of sites from our reviews of the top online sportsbooks that will allow Georgians to set up an account and immediately begin placing wagers.
This is an argument everyone who supports legal sports betting will invariably make in some form. Even if a state is fundamentally against it, what are they actually accomplishing? It's happening anyway, so you might as well legalize it and derive some tax revenue from money that will get spent and exchange hands no matter what.
But Stacey Abrams is also making another point on top of that: Sports betting throughout Georgia isn't just happening; it's happening in droves.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read between the lines here. The Stacey Abrams campaign would not funnel a bunch of advertising money toward Georgia sports bettors if they didn't think it was a worthwhile investment. And for it to be a worthwhile investment, there needs to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of voters potentially partaking in Georgia online sports betting already.
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Will Pro-Sports Betting Stance Propel Stacey Abrams Past Brian Kemp in November?
Investing in the Georgia sports betting market is not a bad idea by Stacey Abrams at all. Experts estimate that hundreds of millions of dollars in money is already gambled on sports throughout the state each year. Some of that may be happening in-person, but overall, more than three-fourths of all transactions in the sports betting industry take place online.
Whenever there's that much money in play, there is also a ton of people involved. And that ensures the ad campaigns paid for by Stacey Abrams will have a large audience. But here's the thing: If you're already in Georgia and betting on sports, then you probably know that Abrams supports its legalization. How could you not be aware of her stance? Sports betting is clearly intriguing enough for you to explore workarounds; the future of its legalization is obviously something you're following. In many ways, then, Abrams' sports betting ads are essentially preaching to the choir.
Then again, they also serve another purpose: distinctly separating her from her opponents, Brian Kemp.
See, not everyone in Georgia who supports betting already actually does it. The vast majority of people, in fact, are not steadily wagering on sports. They may also struggle to know where Abrams lands on the issue. Most of the coverage throughout Georgia skews toward Kemp, and he is notoriously anti-gambling. Paying for ad campaigns on sports betting websites not only separates her from Kemp in the eyes of those already gambling, but it will eventually get back to, well, everyone.
Think about what we're doing right now—in this very space. We're covering Abrams' decision to place ads on sports betting websites. This isn't the only coverage of Abrams' decision. The state's most popular newspaper, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, dedicated an entire news story to it for crying out loud. Thus, Abrams' investment is not just about getting her message across to current online bettors, but to every possible voter, since her decision to go against Kemp on this issue has now become a news story.
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one meets all of your sports betting needs:
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