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Sports Betting in Atlanta, GA
This is our quick Atlanta (GA) online sports betting guide. Check the gambling sites, legal sportsbooks, mobile apps. Read about Atlanta city casinos, gambling locations in 2021. Find out more about best Atlanta area casino, racetracks and sports betting destinations like and affordable casino bus tours with gampsinc.com/tours here.
Atlanta Sports Betting Guide
Atlanta is not at all a gambling-friendly city. Actually, the state of Georgia, on a scale of restrictions and punishments for those organizing such games, sits just behind Utah and Hawaii in the league of ‘State that’s the least friendly to gamble in”. That’s no mean feat.
All’s not lost though. Atlanta residents though have a lottery and can gamble on charity bingo games, and also poker leagues with no player buy-ins. However, for casino or betting, Atlanta residents have to cross state borders, or hop aboard one of two casino cruises that operate in International waters off of the coast.
Georgia has always been a conservative state, and the history of gambling shows many crackdowns and punishing unlicensed operators. The first gambling in place came from the heyday of Southern lotteries during the 1800’s, lead by southern neighbour state Louisiana. In 1878, though, Georgia passed a law banning the sale of lottery tickets, and it would take more than 100 years before a modern state lottery came into being, the first numbers drawn in 1993.
Sports betting in Atlanta isn’t widely available. Unlike other US states, even in the south, pari-mutuel horse and dog racing isn’t even allowed. Obviously, since this kind of racing can‘t take place on boats, the only options are to travel west to Arkansas or south to Florida.
Georgia sports betting legislation looks unlikely in 2019. While the history of gambling goes way back to the Southern Lotteries of the 1840s, laws brought about more recently have been almost completely anti-gambling. The state code actually criminalizes the act of betting and owning a ‘gambling device’, even if that device has never been used for gambling.
Here are the key parts of the current State legislation:
“Bet” means an agreement that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value…Chapter 16-12-20
Where to bet online in Atlanta?
Atlanta has everything you need for a healthy sports betting environment. Major sports teams in nearly every sport, massive fanbases, and a thriving city are all great features that would make any sportsbook owner very pleased. However, gambling laws in the state of Georgia are pretty tough, and calling them restrictive would be selling it short. Not many options exist for anyone interested in gambling placing sports bets, or even going to a casino, but there are things you can do in Atlanta, and there is definitely no shortage of sporting action to enjoy.
Atlanta has professional sports teams in hockey, soccer, football, and baseball. Like any group of teams, Atlanta sports has its ups and downs. For the most part, however, Atlanta has had a great history of success and victories. Championship parades have rolled through this town, and the fans stick by their teams. The Atlanta Falcons, the cities professional football team, are competitive almost every season and are so close to achieving the elusive Super Bowl trophy. Their professional soccer team, Atlanta United FC, are the most valuable team in the league and have brought home a championship in only their second season.
In the article below, we will be going over everything you need to know about betting on sports, casinos, and online gambling in Atlanta. We will cover all of the teams that compete in the city, the casinos you can visit, horse tracks, and the laws that surround it. Like most cities, the laws and regulations surrounding gambling and sports betting are likely to be changed around since the nationwide ban on the activity was lifted. With that being said, we will do our best to go over everything as it currently stands in the city. As you will see, the residents of Atlanta and Georgia as a whole will certainly welcome any changes to the laws and regulations that are currently in place. However, whether that will happen in the near future or not is completely uncertain.
Atlanta Online Gambling Legislation Overview
As with any city, we first need to take a look at what is legal and what is not. We will look at all the options for gambling, sports betting, lottery, horse racing, and everything else that you can and can’t do in the city of Atlanta.
What is Legal
First, we are going to look at what is legal to do in Atlanta. Everything in this next section is free and clear and will not expose you to any fines. So, let’s take a look!
Charitable Gambling
Charitable games such as bingo are one of only three legal options for gambling in the state of Georgia. While it is legal, there are still very strict laws that surround it, and organizations can face harsh penalties if these rules aren’t followed. Residents of Atlanta fill auditoriums and bingo halls on a nightly basis to take their shot at winning some pretty sweet cash prizes. Per session, payouts can only reach a total of $1,500 per night, and the maximum per week reaches $3,000. These bingo events are mostly run by veteran groups as well as fundraisers for a wide variety of different organizations.
With cash business comes opportunities for corruption and misuse. From 1981 to the present day, over 50 organizations have lost their bingo license or have served suspensions for crimes committed in relation to commercial gambling. The state of Georgia takes the crimes very seriously, and each organization must have their books together if they plan on staying in business.
Lottery Betting in Atlanta, GA
While most gambling and betting is illegal in Atlanta, Georgia, the lottery is a great option for those looking to win big! The Georgia Lottery was formed in November of 1992 and was established to build upon the educational funding of the state. The lottery is managed by the Georgia Lottery Corporation and supports the Lottery for Education Act. When it comes to lottery options for residents, there is quite an extensive list of games, including the following:
- Cash 3
- Cash 4
- Georgia Five
- All or Nothing
- Cash4Life
- 5 Card Cash
- Fantasy 5
- Jumbo Bucks Lotto
- Mega Millions
- Powerball
- Print n Play
- Keno
There are also more than 100 scratch ticket games and 12 draw or computerized games to pick from!
What is Not Legal
Now that we have covered what is legal, let’s take a look at what will absolutely get you into trouble. While the state of Georgia does provide you with great options for wagering, the state does have some limitations that you need to look out for. Let’s dive in.
Online Gambling in Atlanta, GA
If you are online gambling in the state of Georgia, you are not exactly breaking any laws. Nothing exists prohibiting you from taking part in online gambling or casino games. However, should you be caught owning or operating on online wagering website in Atlanta, Georgia, you will be subject to some pretty tough fines. This means the only options for online betting or
wagering comes with offshore websites, which can be sketchy at times, so make sure you do your research!
Horse and Dog Racing in Atlanta
As of now, horse and dog racing are completely illegal, and no tracks currently exist for spending a day at the track. However, for the first time in Georgia state legislature, a pari-mutuel bill has emerged from committee. This will allow Georgia voters to vote for and approve horse racing in the state by constitutional amendment. Organizations like the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition have been working tirelessly to work with state legislatures to bring horse racing to the state of Georgia, and we will discuss this group more in-depth below.
Atlanta Land-Based Casinos
Casino gambling is illegal in the state of Georgia. This means for Atlanta residents, no options exist for land-based casino gambling or wagering. However, there is a “sea-based” casino option available for those who are willing to take an almost 5-hour drive down to Brunswick, Georgia. That option is the Emeralds Princess Casino Cruise. Passengers of the ship can enjoy any game you would find at a Vegas casino, including poker, slots, and table games.
Poker Rooms
If you live in Atlanta or the state of Georgia in general, there are no options for poker unless you are playing in some sort of illegal, underground operation. With strict gaming and gambling laws, there is not a lot of buzz around the potential legalization of poker in the state.
Sports Betting
Like the online gambling laws, nothing exists that makes sports betting online illegal in the state of Georgia. However, if you are managing or operating a sportsbook in Atlanta, you are certainly breaking the law, and you will find yourself in some trouble should you get caught. With no land-based casinos available in the state or city, the only way to place sports bets as Atlanta residents are with offshore sportsbook websites.
Off-Track Betting
As you can guess, there are no options for off-track betting in Atlanta since it isn’t even legal to bet on horse racing in any form. However, with the current push to legalize horse racing in the state of Georgia, there may be a possible option for simulcast wagering in the future should the efforts of organizations like the Georgia Horse Racing Coalition pay off!
Atlanta Sports Betting Options
As we stated above, laws for sports betting in Atlanta are hoping for a welcomed change, and sports betting will likely be legalized soon as a bill has been introduced. Until then, however, the only options for making sports bets in the entire state of Georgia are with offshore websites. With that being said, some possible locations for sportsbooks in Georgia once the law has been passed are the casinos that make up the city. In the section below, we will go over some of the best locations to play casino games when you are visiting Atlanta!
Physical Betting Locations in the city of Atlanta, Georgia
Unfortunately for residents of Atlanta and all of Georgia, there are no physical casino locations for placing wagers and enjoying your favorite casino games. The state is extremely restrictive, and the options for gambling are almost non-existent. However, there is one way people from Atlanta can gamble. The only catch, you have to board a cruise and leave the state lines. With the Emeralds Princess Casino Cruise, you can do just that.
Emeralds Princess Casino Cruise
The only option for playing your favorite card games and cashing in on all of the best slot machines comes with the Emeralds Princess Casino Cruise. You can hop aboard the cruise in Brunswick, Georgia which is almost a 5-hour drive from Atlanta. You could also hop on a flight and be there within an hour for around 300 bucks!
As far as gaming goes, this ship has just about everything a casino gamer could possibly want. Passengers have your standard Vegas-style casino as well as games that are exclusive to the Emeralds Princess Casino. For card players, Texas Hold ‘Em is available, and for the $100 minimum buy-in, you can enjoy games during all regularly scheduled cruises. There are also hands of BlackJack available as well as EP Stud Poker. Not interested in sitting at the table? Then maybe playing video poker and blackjack are better options for you and are readily available during the cruise. You can also enjoy thrilling games of craps or roulette during these scheduled cruise hours. Some exclusive options on the cruise are Triple Time ( A poker themed game) and the Big 20 Bonus ( A Blackjack themed game). The Emeralds Princess Casino Cruise also houses over 250 premium slot machines with a variety of different themes that passengers love!
As you can see, the Emeralds Princess Casino Cruise has just about everything you could ask for when it comes to gambling and wagering. So, if you are a resident of Georgia, this is definitely the best way to get your gambling fix in a state that has very limited options for casino lovers.
Atlanta Online Casinos and Sportsbooks
As you may have noticed, the rules and regulations that Atlanta has in place do not really nurture a culture of online casinos and sportsbooks. The state doesn’t even have physical casinos for residents to place wagers and bets at. Therefore, it makes sense that no options
exist for legal casino wagering and sports betting in Atlanta short of offshore sportsbooks and casino sites.
Atlanta Online Poker Options
In the state of Georgia, no state-wide regulation of online poker or online gambling has managed to get passed. However, there are no laws in Georgia that do not allow citizens to participate in real money poker games online. While online poker will hopefully be regulated in Atlanta one day, the people of this city do have plenty of options for offshore, real-money poker websites. These sites are available to almost anyone in the United States and give poker fans plenty of options for online play.
Atlanta Professional Sports Teams
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL) that compete in the NFC South Division of the league. The franchise was founded in 1965 as an expansion team and played their first season in 1966. In 2017, the Falcons built a world-class
stadium known as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Prior to that, the team played all of their home games in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons are headquartered out of Flowery Branch, Georgia and are owned by Arthur Blank.
Over the years the Falcons have seen plenty of success; however, they are yet to bring a Super Bowl trophy home to the city. They have made the playoffs 14 times since joining the league and have won two NFC Championships in 1998 and more recently in 2016. The team had a commanding lead in the 2016 Super Bowl, but after a late-game comeback, the team fell to the New England Patriots.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team in Major League Baseball that competes in the National League East Division of the league. The franchise was founded in 1871 and have been based out of Atlanta since 1966. The Braves are headquartered out of Atlanta, Georgia, and play all of their home games in Suntrust Park after moving there from Turner Field in 2016. The Braves actually started out as the Boston Red Stockings, and they have seen their name changed several times over the years. They moved to Milwaukee in 1953 and ended up in Atlanta in 1966.
The team has seen their fair share of success over the last century with multiple World Series championships under their belts. The first came in 1914 as the Boston Braves and then two more in 1967 as the Milwaukee Braves and 1995 under their current name. Along with the championships, the Braves also have 17 National League Pennants.
Atlanta United FC
The Atlanta United FC is a professional soccer team in Major League Soccer (MLS) that compete in the Eastern Conference of the league. The franchise was founded in 2014 and played their first season in 2017. The team is headquartered out of Atlanta, Georgia and play all of their home games in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, also the home of the Atlanta Falcons.
With Arthur Blank as the owner, also the owner of the Falcons, the franchise has seen success in its early years of joining the league. Atlanta United FC qualified for the playoffs in their very first season becoming only the third team to achieve this accomplishment. In their second season, Atlanta United qualified for their second playoff appearance and dismantled the Portland Timbers to bring Atlanta their first MLS Championship and qualified them for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League.
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers are a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League that compete in the Eastern Conference Southeast Division of the league. The franchise was founded in 1999 and played their first season that same season. Unfortunately, the Thrashers were sold in 2011 and moved to Winnipeg. They are now known as the Winnipeg Jets.
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are a professional basketball team in the NBA that compete in the Eastern Conference Southeast Division of the league. The franchise was founded in 1946 and played their first season that same year. The Hawks are headquartered out of Atlanta, Georgia and play all of their home games in the State Farm Arena.
When the franchise was established in 1946, they began as the Buffalo Bison. After spending some time in St. Louis and Milwaukee, the team moved to Atlanta in 1968. The Hawks have been able to win four conference titles since their start coming in 1957, 1958, 1960, and 1961. While they have made it to the show multiple times, they were only able to bring home an NBA championship one time in 1958 as the St. Louis Hawks.
Atlanta Sports Betting Communities, Bars, Forums, and Blogs
As with any massively popular city with multiple options for sports and teams to cheer on, Atlanta has a pretty sound sports culture amongst the city. So, it is no surprise that sports bars, blogs, and even communities have sprung up everywhere that keep the fans, as well as the sports bettors of Atlanta, informed on where their teams are at and how they are looking going forward. In the section below, we will be going over all of the nooks and crannies of the city that allow fans and sports bettors to get the latest news and updates on what is going on with the sports teams of the city.
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is definitely one of the top spots for sports fans and sports bettors in the city. Not only can you find Turner Field, Phillips Arena, and the Georgia Dome here, but there are also excellent options for sports bars and clubs within walking distance! Below, you will find some great options for sports, food, and drinks right in Downtown Atlanta:
● STATS Brewpub
● Braves All Star Grill – Downtown
● Hudson Grille
Online Betting Blogs and Forums
As with most cities, there are plenty of blogs and forums online to keep up to date with the latest news for Atlanta sports. Below, we have listed a few of the most popular blogs the residents of Atlanta can use to stay in tune with their home teams.
- ATL All Day – All Atlanta Sports Blog Site
- Atlanta Sports HQ – All Atlanta Sports Blog
- The Falcoholic – Atlanta Falcons Sports Blog
- Talking Chop – Atlanta Braves Sports Blog
- Tomahawk Take – Atlanta Braves Blog
- Soaring Down South – Atlanta Hawks Blog
