Georgia Online Casinos

Georgia Online Casinos and Real Money Slots

Regulation and legality of online gambling

Just like many Southern states, Georgia has an overwhelmingly conservative stance towards all forms of gambling. As of 2020, online gambling still isn’t legal in the state. However, there is a catch that Georgian players are delighted to exploit.

In legal terms, online casinos are a relative novelty. As such, they aren’t explicitly prohibited by the state of Georgia. What does this mean exactly?

When it comes to legislation, the absence of explicit prohibition pertaining to a certain activity means that you effectively can’t get trouble for it. This is great news, as Georgia is one of the most undeveloped US states, gambling-wise.

As former Gov. Nathan Deal was perpetually scared of the scenario that online gambling would cannibalize the state’s lottery, hopes for legalization were pretty much nonexistent in the 2010s. With the arrival of incumbent Governor, Tom Graves, many experts believe that Georgia will come to its senses and start regulating this expanding industry.

While there are no sites based in Georgia, many other US casinos and offshore brands are more than happy to provide players with a permanent home. The authorities, so far, haven’t taken legal action against these brands, so the choice is as wide as ever.

The Peach State is a restrictive one, considerably more than most other parts of the Union. Georgia’s laws don’t mention online gambling, and many forms of land-based gambling continue to be against the existing laws and regulations. The only way for Georgia residents to enjoy casino games on the internet without risking any unlawful actions is to turn to sites hosted overseas. From major network websites to proven brands created specifically for US players, GA online gamers can compensate for the lack of land-based slots and gambling tables. This situation will probably last for years to come.

A regulated online and land-based gambling market would probably help the state’s economy if executed correctly, but so far there have been no serious attempts to introduce intrastate casino websites and commercial casino facilities.

Gambling History

Georgia was never the gambling powerhouse of the United States. It probably never will be. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that there are no gambling possibilities whatsoever in the Peach State. There are some, and in the case of Georgia quality surpasses quantity. Ever a conservative state, Georgia put a ban on lottery tickets in 1878. The modern state lottery was established a century after - in 1993. Charity bingo and raffles were legalized in 1976 and they continue to be tightly regulated today.

Instead of establishing licensed brick and mortar gambling venues, Georgians went through creative efforts to invest in cruise ship casinos. At least one remains operative today. For a while, players from Georgia had access to video poker machines, but the government made them entirely illegal in 2002. There have been rumors of internet cafes which pose as gambling establishments, but they operate underground and state prosecutors are onto them since 2011.

Horse racing remains unregulated in the state of Georgia. Casino gambling has been approved by the Senate Bill 79 and the House Bill 158 in 2017, which paved a way to casinos being legalized and built with the purpose of securing money for education (funding the community college programs). However, the implementation of these bills is still awaited upon.

Land based casinos

You can count the number of casinos in Georgia on the fingers of one hand - one cruise boat. As much as 4 land-based facilities providing gambling services to locals who don’t want to travel the gaming meccas in Las Vegas or Atlantic City are within a close range from Atlanta, but they are located in North Carolina and Alabama. At one point, there were 2 casino boats operating the shores of Georgia. However, the Tradewinds casino cruise out of Savannah was closed in 2015. Now, only Emerald Princess Casino remains.

The 200-foot vessel with four decks docks in Brunswick and offers cruises five days a week. Emerald Princess Casino boasts two gambling decks and a variety of parlor games. Over 220 slot machines are installed, along with a dozen blackjack tables, 8 poker tables, a table for craps and 2 roulette wheels. Emerald Princess Casino requires a $10 entry fee and provides a 5-hour-long cruise across international waters where anything is legal because there are no laws. Patrons must be 18 or older to come aboard. The ship features two cocktail lounges, and provides casual dining on the 3rd deck (Bistro Deck).

Neighbouring States: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Top Georgia Casino Slots and Games

References

[1] Georgia Lottery

[2] Online gambling - are players at risk of prosecution?

[3] American Gaming Association - https://www.americangaming.org