Gambling online in Georgia is restricted to several activities. For example, Internet casinos and playing poker over the Internet are currently not allowed, but there is a possibility that the laws may change in the future to legalize these. At present, social sweepstakes portals are available, and digital portals operate in a legal grey area. Although online poker is not legally permitted in the Peach State, some rooms function under a sweepstakes model and serve residents of the state. The most popular Internet poker website in the USA, Global Poker, is open to players in Georgia.
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is legal in the Peach State and is considered a skill-based game. Reputable operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel offer options for betting on DFS. Land-based venues, whether commercial or tribal casinos, are not allowed in the Peach State, apart from the Emerald Princess Casino, an international boat that offers legal gambling on the sea.
Sports betting is currently illegal in the state but attempts to legalize it are being made. While there are no physical locations for wagering in the state, some platforms provide options for betting on different sports. The Georgia State Lottery is lawful and offers games like Powerball and Mega Millions. Horse racing is also permitted in the state, but there are no permanent racetracks operating. However, festivals with betting on racing horses take place throughout the year.
Social and sweepstakes platforms are legal choices. These portals use virtual currencies instead of real cash, enabling them to run within legal boundaries. Players can buy virtual currencies or earn them through bonuses, and they can redeem them for cash rewards. Charitable gambling, such as raffles and bingo, is another legal activity in GA that must be run by specific tax-exempt organizations like schools, churches, nonprofits, and civic entities only. These organizations must use the revenue they get for educational and charitable purposes and can apply for licenses to run bingo halls.
Internet casinos –Not Legal
Unfortunately, Georgia online gambling is not permitted by the law, nor are online casino websites. Still, lawmakers could make some changes in the future to legalize this activity. For the moment, sweepstakes casinos and social portals are available and legal, while standard websites based and working outside the state are in the grey sector, not legal, not explicitly illegal.
Web poker –Not Legal
Internet poker is not legal in the Heart of Dixie and players may have to wait a while for the situation to change. Keep in mind that future legislation will likely focus on sports gambling regulation and may not cover Georgia online casinos and Internet poker. In US states like New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and some others online poker games are allowed. Unlike them, no legal gaming rooms operate in Magnolia State.
Fortunately, there are digital poker rooms on the Internet that apply a sweepstakes model and serve Georgians. Some overseas operators also accept people from the state, but they are not openly legal. The most popular legal website for Internet poker open for users within the United States is Global Poker. Players there use a virtual currency.
Global Poker serves almost all US states, including this state. So, if you live here, you can use it for online gambling in Georgia. The website often runs dozens of “cash” games and large tournaments that locals can take part in. Don’t hesitate to use this platform to play online poker and participate in tournaments if you live in the Cracker State.
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) –Legal
The state classifies daily fantasy sports (DFS) as skill-based games. While there are no official laws on fantasy sports, they are still legal to play.
Several reputable operators provide options to wager on them, including:
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- Outlast Daily Fantasy Sports
- PrizePicks
- Yahoo
Land-based venues –Not Legal
No commercial or tribal casinos work in the Empire State of the South since they are not allowed by the law. The lack of tribal casinos is due to Native American tribes found within the state not being federally recognized. There is only one international boat that players can use for real money, evading the ban. This is the Emerald Princess Casino.
The international boat Emerald Princess Casino – legal
Emerald Princess Casino
The only possibility for gambling in person in the Peach State that residents have is the floating in the sea international boat. The boat does not require locals to follow the regulations. You can rejoice in legal activities while cruising in this luxurious boat. Setting sail from Brunswick, it offers more than 250 slot machines, as wells as a craps table, 12 blackjack games, a poker table, two roulette games, and some others. The cruises usually last for five to six hours. You can take trips in international waters from Thursday to Sunday.
Address: 101 Emerald Princess Drive, Brunswick, GA 31523
Owner: Louis Dyer (president, general manager, owner, and CEO of the Emerald Princess II Casino Cruise Ship)
Sailing since: N/A
Sports betting –Not Legal
Wagering is, unfortunately, not allowed by the law of Georgia. The most recent effort to enact the sports betting bill and legalize this activity failed in 2023. But while this and earlier efforts have been without success, locals continue to push for the legalization of wagering. Lawmakers are working hard for legal sports betting in the state. There haven’t been any recent bills to advance any kind of ballot proposal. The vertical will likely become lawful in the next few years, but nobody knows when this will take place for sure. Unfortunately, there isn’t a physical place in the state for this activity.
Some popular types of sports you can wager on at sportsbooks at your own responsibility include:
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Beach Volleyball
- Cricket
- Horse racing
- Cycling
- Boxing
- Darts
- Esports
- Football
- Golf
- Entertainment
- Soccer
- Handball
- Hockey
- Motor Sports
- Rugby League
- Snooker
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Virtual Sports
- Volleyball
- UFC/MMA
- Winter Sports
Georgia Lottery –Legal
Charitable gambling and the Georgia lottery are among the few legal activities in the state. Players can buy tickets at approximately 8,600 retail locations within the state. They can also play through a web browser or a mobile device. The Georgia Lottery app is available for both iOS (Apple) and Android devices. Locals can find many different draw games, such as the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions. It also offers scratchers and online-only Diggi games – instant-win games similar to scratchers. In some cases, losing scratcher tickets may offer opportunities to win in second-chance drawings as well.
Horse racing –Legal
Surprisingly, horse races are legal in the Heart of Dixie, but the problem is that so far, no permanent racetrack exists nor runs. Despite that, the state hosts plenty of horse race festivals all year round, including the Hawkinsville Harness Festival and Georgia Steeplechase. Keep in mind that while horse races are allowed, pari-mutuel wagering on horse races is illegal in the Peach State. All attempts to legalize horse race betting have been unsuccessful, regardless of some lawmakers’ support and Georgia Horse Racing Coalition ‘s lobbying efforts.
Social portals –Legal
One of the few legal options for Georgians is social platforms. Similarly to using the services of sweepstakes platforms, social gaming is not classified as gambling and is thereby lawful, unlike Internet casinos. Social sites just like daily fantasy sports do not need licenses to operate and accept GA players.
Regulators across the country have the responsibility to review operators to decide if they qualify for licenses. These institutions ensure that sites meet industry standards in many and various areas like:
- responsible gambling
- security
- customer support
- fair play
- random game outcome
If players report a site for breaching its policies or for unfair terms and conditions, regulators will help settle the dispute.
Sweepstakes casino websites –Legal
Sweepstakes are legal options that use the social model of functioning and accept Georgian players. Instead of using real cash, these casinos use virtual currencies that let them stay on the lawful side. This is how they have found a way to run in states such as Georgia where online gambling for real money is prohibited. Most sweepstakes portals use two different virtual currencies. Users can buy one of the currencies to play games, but they can also receive bonuses in the second currency, which they can redeemed for cash prizes.
In the best sweepstakes casinos, you can buy Gold Coins you can use for playing casino games with. Gold Coins have no monetary value, and you can use them for winning more of them in the games only. However, when you buy Gold Coins, you will receive Sweeps Coins as a bonus. Users can accumulate Sweeps Coins in many other ways, such as through site giveaways and even by asking for them by writing the site directly. You can play Sweeps Coins in a portal and win more of them to swap for cash prizes as you wish.
Charitable events –Legal
Charitable gambling is restricted to raffles and bingo games. Both are allowed only when run by specific organizations, namely tax-exempt schools, churches, nonprofits, and civic entities. These organizations must use the revenue from raffles and bingo games for educational and charitable purposes only. Only when these institutions meet all the mentioned requirements can they apply for licenses.
Bingo – legal only when charitable and run by certain organizations –Legal
The situation with bingo in the Empire State of the South is the same as with the charitable version since it is of the same type. Only certain organizations like the ones allowed to run charitable raffles – tax-exempt schools, nonprofits, churches, and civic entities are eligible to run bingo. Bingo Halls are usually operated by or affiliated with a nonprofit organization or other qualified entities. They are obliged to follow various regulations such as:
- record-keeping
- licensing
- reporting to state authorities
In the state, bingo halls are often run by diverse institutions, including the American Legion, Rotary Club, Moose & Elks, Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Fraternal Orders, and Kiwanis. Charitable events and bingo are among the few legal options gambling in Georgia otherwise known for its restrictive policies.
