Atlanta, October 15, 2026. Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Keisha Lance Bottoms, is proposing a referendum on legalizing commercial casinos to generate between US$300 million and US$500 million annually, primarily to fund early childhood education. The proposal is gaining attention ahead of the November 3 election, in which she will face Republican candidate Rick Jackson.
Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, unveiled her proposal on April 8, outlining plans to finance universal preschool education and full-day kindergarten. Jackson, a healthcare businessman, has not presented an equivalent plan to authorize casinos or sports betting.
Rick Jackson
The reform would require a constitutional amendment supported by 120 votes in the 180-member House of Representatives and 38 votes in the 56-member Senate, followed by voter approval in a statewide referendum. The latest legislative setback came in March, when House Resolution 450 (HR 450), sponsored by Marcus Wiedower, received 98 votes in favor and 63 against, falling short of the threshold required to authorize a public vote on sports betting.
Other proposals remain unapproved, including House Bill 910 (HB 910), introduced by Matt Hatchett, which would allow up to 18 online betting platforms under the supervision of the Georgia Lottery, and Senate Resolution 131 (SR 131), sponsored by Senator Carden Summers, which proposed at least eight casino licences.
Carden Summers
The industry has actively financed the political debate: organizations linked to sports betting contributed approximately US$12.3 million to legislative campaigns during 2026, including interests associated with DraftKings, FanDuel, and the Sports Betting Alliance. Georgia is currently governed by Brian Kemp, while Jon Burns serves as Speaker of the House and Burt Jones presides over the Senate. Brad Raffensperger oversees the state's election administration.
The Georgia Lottery Corporation, headed by Gretchen Corbin, contributed US$823.9 million to educational programmes during the first half of fiscal year 2026, supporting initiatives such as the HOPE Scholarship and Georgia Pre-K. Bottoms' proposal has yet to establish the number of casinos, their locations, tax rates, or authorized operators. No gambling referendum has been scheduled for November.
