Georgia Online Casinos
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of things Georgia can offer to its residents and visitors when it comes to gambling. Georgia is a conservative state that bans almost all forms of gambling. It doesn’t seem like Georgia will be seeing a lot of improvement in the years to come regarding the legalization of gambling.
It’s safe to say that most Georgia residents travel to neighboring states and visit available online casinos to get their dose of gambling. It’s essential for the residents of the Peach State to be familiar with current gambling laws — to be on the safe side of things.
Let’s take a look at which gambling options are legal in the state of Georgia and how its residents can access online casinos.
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Is Online Gambling Legal in Georgia?
Georgia is one of the few US states that deem all forms of casino games illegal. Unfortunately, even the brick-and-mortar casinos fall under this law. Therefore, Georgia residents do not have access to any land-based casinos in the whole state.
Moreover, online casino games are illegal in the state as well. However, this is where we enter a legal gray area. As is the case in many other American states, operating and wagering in an online casino located in the state of Georgia is illegal. But, placing bets in an online casino located outside of Georgia’s borders is legal.
Even though Georgia is ill-disposed towards online casinos, there are no specific laws that ban betting in online casinos located offshore.
Most players opt for using a VPN to hide their location and get access to many available offshore online casinos. Luckily, there are plenty of offshore online casinos that accept players from Georgia, meaning that the use of VPNs is not always necessary, but it still makes some players feel safer. Nevertheless, players should always check the casino’s terms and conditions to make sure their bets are accepted.
Players do not need to worry about facing legal consequences when joining an online casino. Georgia authorities target online casino owners and operators located in Georgia, rather than individual players. The chances of going to prison are minimal for players.
Are Daily Fantasy Sports Legal in Georgia?
The situation with Daily Fantasy Sports is a bit more complex in Georgia, as they fall under the legal gray area. Georgia lawmakers have tried to legalize DFS a couple of times in the last three years, but no significant progress was made.
However, DFS operators have been accepting bets from residents of Georgia with no problems. Officials have not made any efforts to put a stop to the recurring Daily Fantasy Games operating in the state. This is why we can say that DFS is currently working in Georgia, and it is not explicitly illegal.
Players have the option of betting on three DFS betting sites at the moment — DraftKings, FanFuel, and Fantasy Draft.
Which Forms of Gambling Are Legal?
Only three forms of gambling are officially legalized in the state of Georgia — lottery, bingo, and raffles.
The lottery has been legal since 1992, and it’s currently running six Georgia-only lottery games and three multistate games. The most popular lottery game is Mega Millions, which is available in many other US states, too.
The law states that half of the money goes to prizes, and one third goes to education. In contrast, the remainder of the money is allocated towards other lotteries, including the South Carolina Education Lottery.
Bingo in Georgia is legal only if used recreationally or for charitable purposes. However, bingo prizes are quite low since it’s the most restrictive gambling game out of the three mentioned. Georgia’s law allows $1,500 per session or $3,000 per week to be paid in prizes.
Raffles are to be operated only by non-profit organizations, such as churches, schools, civic organizations, or related support groups. All organizations are required to apply and pay a license fee before organizing a raffle. As you might have guessed, just like bingo, raffles are only allowed for charitable purposes.
How to Choose a Good Online Casino?
Since gambling on offshore online sites is not explicitly illegal in Georgia, most residents choose to join one of those sites. Beginners in online gambling might need some help when it comes to selecting a legitimate online casino.
New players should always check if proper authorities licensed the online casino. Most legitimate casinos have been regulated by some of the best global gambling commissions. Licenses of this type will guarantee a safe play and a secure environment.
Before joining an offshore casino, always read the terms and conditions to make sure players from your country are allowed to register on the site. Not all online casinos accept players from the US.
Most online casinos provide bonus packages to new players. If you’re serious about gambling, dig a little deeper to find a casino that offers substantial bonuses.
Game variety is also quite significant but you should never settle for the number of available games over the quality of those games. It’s always better to choose an online casino with fewer games but with a better overall score — including graphics, design, payout percentage, and so on.
Future of Casinos in Georgia
Georgia is one of the states with strictest gambling laws in the US, which means casinos, poker, and sports betting all fall under those laws. Even horse racing and dog racing are illegal, unlike in most other states. Even though there have been attempts to pass a couple of gambling bills, there still hasn’t been any progress on that front.
In 2017, a bill was introduced allowing two land-based casinos to open in Georgia — one in Atlanta, and the other in Savannah, Columbus, or Augusta. Unfortunately, this bill did not get to see the light of day, and it never went through. The word casino is considered such a controversial term in Georgia that it wasn’t even written anywhere in the bill — the phrase destination resorts was used instead.
For now, there are no indications that either online or land-based casinos will be introduced and legalized in Georgia any time soon.
Land-Based Casinos in Georgia
As we have previously mentioned, there are no brick-and-mortar casinos in Georgia.
Let’s hope you don’t suffer from seasickness since the residents of the Peach State have only one option — the Emerald Princess Casino. This casino is located on a cruise ship out of Brunswick, which makes it the closest casino location for most residents of Georgia.
The cruise ship operates five nights a week. The 200-foot vessel with four decks aways sails into international waters, thus enabling Georgia locals to gamble outside of Georgia borders.
Emerald Princess Casino surprisingly has plenty of games in its portfolio. Players that want to get on board need to pay an entry fee of $10 to get the chance to try their luck on more than 250 slot machines. Players can choose plenty of different themed slots and denominations, including $0.01, $0.05, $0.10, $0.20, $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, and $5.00 — ideal for anyone’s pocket.
Video poker and blackjack are also available if you prefer to practice your skills. These might be the perfect games for beginners because the rules are simple to master.
For players that prefer to sit at the table, roulette, blackjack, craps, and even Texas Hold’Em are available. The diversity of available games isn’t lacking, so you can choose some variants of the game as well, such as EP Stud Poker, Big 20 Bonus, or Triple Time.
Keep in mind that Texas Hold’Em games are offered on all regularly scheduled cruises, depending on the overall interest and participation of the players. The minimum buy-in for all cash games is $100.
Currently, there are no other casinos available in Georgia or Georgian waters. Until 2015, there was another casino cruise ship — Tradewinds. This casino was located outside of Savannah, but the state revoked the vessel’s certification, which led to the casino being shut down.
Most locals drive to neighboring Florida and North Carolina to visit land-based casinos since the drive only takes a couple of hours.
Final Thoughts
The prospect of legalizing online casinos in Georgia seems bleak at this point since there are no indications that gambling will become legal in the near future. However, joining offshore online casinos is still not illegal in Georgia, only frowned upon. Always check if proper authorities legalized the online casino before registering.
Georgia doesn’t have any land-based casinos. Thus, if you’re not a fan of online gambling, your only other option is a cruise ship casino. Mind you, It is never a bad idea to get familiar with the state’s gambling laws before placing a bet, especially in the Peach State.
FAQ
Online casinos operating within Georgia borders are not legal. Instead, players can join offshore online casinos from within Georgia.
The legal gambling age is 18 for all types of gambling, including the lottery, bingo, and raffles. Similarly, the legal gambling age for offshore casinos is also 18 — in most cases.
No, there isn’t. Georgia did not pass any laws that explicitly forbid offshore online casinos.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any land-based casinos available in Georgia. You can visit a cruise ship casino located outside Brunswick or travel to neighboring states.
Yes, it is. Charitable lottery, bingo, and raffle games are available to all players above the age of 18. Operators of the game need to seek licenses for conducting the games, and follow all the rules prescribed by the state.