Gambling Laws For Georgia
Gambling as a responsible hobby can be a whole lot of fun, and if done correctly, even a little profitable. However, the legal status of gambling within the United States is murky at best, and can keep some honest citizens who would like to partake from doing so unless. This article will clear up your questions specifically on Georgia gambling laws
What is clear is this: according to federal law, while it is illegal to facilitate gambling without specific licenses or for most states to host sports betting at all, these laws were never intended to impact the act of wagering, merely the facilitation of it. From this foundation, many states are free to implement their own policy and regulation as they see fit in accordance with the legislation’s stance on gambling.
Unfortunately for residents of Georgia, their home state falls under that category. While simultaneously avoiding legal trouble and practicing a safe and regular gambling hobby may be more difficult for Georgia residents, it is not impossible. The page below will specifically outline Georgia law as it relates to all forms of gambling, as well as provide advice for prospective gamblers in Georgia as to the safest means to enjoy their new hobby.
Legality of Gambling in Georgia
When it comes to the issue of gambling, Georgia, like many states in its region sees fit to further restrict and regulate their citizen’s ability to gamble. The state legislation defines “the act of gambling” in chapter 16-12-21 section (a) as placing a bet or wager on the full or partial outcome of any event (think sports betting or even wagers on cultural events like political elections or entertainment awards) or wagers on any games played with cards, dice or balls.
With this strict a definition on gambling, it’s not hard to see that very little is left unsaid when it comes to a Georgia resident’s ability to gamble. If convicted of gambling in Georgia, a resident may be found guilty of a misdemeanor which can lead to up to twelve months in jail. This is the lowest tier of punishment in the state system.
If there is good news to gleam from the Georgia gambling laws, it’s that they no longer seem to be heavily enforced. While gambling is technically against the law within the state, there have been no cases of arrests made of otherwise honest residents who happened to place a bet or a wager.
The much more serious crime in Georgia, and the one that is prosecuted to a much greater degree is the crime of “Commercial Gambling,” which anyone will surely want to avoid as it is considered a felony and will grant anyone a MINIMUM of one year of jail time within the state.
Individual Gaming vs. Commercial Gambling
If one lives in Georgia and wishes to be active in any sort of gambling culture, there is a good chance that they can do so without any legal interference, however, they must be careful to avoid anything that could be considered “commercial gambling” as it will surely draw legal attention and leave the offender open to big time legal penalties.
Chapter 16-12-22 section (a) of Georgia law defines “Commercial Gambling” essentially as making it possible for others to gamble and turning a profit from it. A good example is running a sportsbook where an offender would keep track of other people’s bets while adjusting odds and taking a commission in order to turn a profit.
To be clear, when the law says profiting from gambling they do not mean gambling and winning some money in that fashion. In order to be found guilty of “commercial gambling” by the state of Georgia, a guilty party must put themselves in a position where they are making money based off other people gambling regardless whether they themselves are participating or not. Good examples of this include charging admission for the privilege to play certain games or collecting percentages of wagers.
One can also be convicted of “commercial gambling” if these acts knowingly take place in a property they own. In order for Georgia residents to avoid this charge, they are strongly advised to stick to merely participating when it comes to gambling. In this fashion, they should be able to avoid not only the felony charge, but any legal attention all together.
Georgia Betting Laws
Georgia Sports Betting Laws
With so many popular sports teams surrounding the Atlanta region and many more great college teams throughout the state, it’s no wonder that sports betting is the form of gambling Georgia residents are most curious about.
Unfortunately, not only is the act of betting in Georgia illegal, the Georgia gambling laws regarding “commercial gambling” attacks bookmaking. This means that even if a Georgia resident were interested in betting, it would be hard to find anyone in their home state to take their bet.
Georgia Casino Gaming Laws
Georgia legislation clearly does not allow any games of chance to be wagered on in their state, and where some states leave the possibility for state licenses to be issues to casinos around the state, there has been no such occurrence in Georgia. This means no legalized table games of any kind while on land in the state of Georgia.
Georgia Poker Laws
Where some states leave room in their legislation open for “games of skill” over games of chance, Georgia does not. While certain states may authorize legal poker rooms on the basis of poker being determined a game of skill, the Georgia legislation eliminates this possibility by simply deeming all wagering games played with cards illegal.
The one exception to this rule a Georgia resident may finds is in access to cruise liners where poker is allowed, however, the boat must wait until it leaves land entirely before anyone aboard will be given the go ahead to gamble.
Legal Gambling Age In Georgia
The issue of gambling legally in Georgia is complicated enough as it is without throwing any fuel on the fire. If a prospective gambler in Georgia chooses to gamble underage, they will be doing exactly that. In the rare instances a Georgia resident is able to legally gamble, they must wait until they are 18 years of age. By attempting to gamble underage, the perpetrator not only leaves themselves open to legal penalty, but whichever facility they are caught gambling with will surely issue some sort of a ban while seizing any funds related to gambling winnings.
|
General |
|---|
| 18 |
|
Lottery |
|---|
| 18 |
|
Casinos |
|---|
| 18 |
|
Poker |
|---|
| 18 |
|
Pari-Mutuel |
|---|
| N/A |
|
Bingo |
|---|
| 18 |
Where to Gamble in Georgia
On-Land:
If a Georgia resident is looking to gamble socially, in person, in their home state, their options are limited to the point of practically being out of luck. The state of Georgia has not licensed any brick and mortar casino operations within the state, not even pari-mutuel betting in the form of dog race tracks.
Some states with harsh gambling policies can find a saving grace in casinos on Native American reservations which are federally exempt, but Georgia does not even have any of these within their state’s borders. For land based gambling, Georgia residents are limited to private games within the confines of a private residence.
While even these games are technically against the law, just so long as the host of the game avoids taking any sort of profit, they should easily be able to avoid any legal complications. For example, in a private poker game set up in someone’s home, they should be able to avoid any entanglement just as long as they do not charge admission or take a rake from the game’s pots.
However, while a poker night amongst friends can make for a fun evening, it is not always the best way to win a lot of money. High stakes poker games are usually a good way to ruin friendships.
Online/Web-Based:
Thankfully, for Georgia residents who would like to take up gambling, the internet exists. As discussed at several points in this article, while it’s technically not legal to gamble at all, the only way to attract serious legal attention is to facilitate a game for profit. By gambling from the privacy of your own home with one of these reputable gambling networks, Georgia residents can bypass this problem all together.
Since the state of Georgia does not issue gambling licenses, it would be impossible for a gambling site accepting Georgia residents to actually be based in Georgia, or indeed, anywhere in the United States at all. While the idea of gambling with a company that is based overseas may make some Georgia gamblers nervous, keep in mind that in the countries these sites are established in, gambling is indeed legal. This means two things. Firstly, there is no danger of these websites being shut down by the law and no members of this site are forced to work with a criminal element. Secondly, since these networks are set up in a country where gambling is legal, there are certain high standards of quality and legitimacy they must adhere to in order to remain in business.
Indeed, every gambling site for Georgia residents listed on this page comes certified by reputable overseas gaming commissions. This means that not only will all games anyone chooses to take part in with these websites be certified as fair, the websites are guaranteed to pay out regularly.
Prospective gamblers in Georgia won’t find a better deal on the whole internet, but they do not simply have to take out word for it. All of these websites have pages upon pages of customer testimony backing up their superior products, and they all come endorsed by major US media giants like CBS and FOX. When all this is added up, it makes for an excellent, discrete, and safe gambling option for any resident of Georgia.
Trusted Georgia Gambling Sites: Casino, Sports, Poker...
Bovada Sportsbook
Best Place To Bet On Georgia Bulldogs Football
Once you decide that online gambling is for you, the only decision left to make is which of these superior networks you would like to start a membership with. Our advice is to always go with the one who has been doing it at the highest level for the longest time, and in this case, it will always be Bovada. Forget that this legal gambling site for Georgia residents boasts the highest quality virtual casino games, poker rooms, and the most complete online sportsbook, the bonuses one gets for simply joining this site are mind boggling.
When you first sign up and join the sportsbook, you can receive 50% of your deposit right back in bonus money all the way up to a whopping $250. For poker, it’s even more – how about 100% of your deposit back up to $1000? These great deals are an excellent way to break into the website. Sign up and make some risk-free bets with your free money, then make yourself at home, because with Bovada, you will always have the option to gamble, when, where and however you please!
More Georgia Betting Sites That Can Be Trusted
How To Get More Help
We here at GeorgiaGamblingLaws.com stand by our research and firmly believe that all the information presented here is accurate, we are not lawyers. As such, this cannot be considered professional legal advice, and certainly does not take the place of a legal consultation. If you have any further questions about Georgia gambling laws, you should contact a lawyer or visit www.legis.ga.gov to view the Georgia state legislation’s web page and search the statutes for yourself.