Recently updated on December 12th, 2019
Casinos in Georgia are a fairly new industry that was recently established. In 1992, Georgia was one of the last states in the US to legalize any form of gambling apart from charities. The first form of gambling in Georgia to emerge was the Georgia Lottery. Overnight, it quickly became one of the largest gambling businesses. Currently, the state’s lottery now sells tickets online alongside with other games like instant scratch cards.
The Peach State also allows other types of gambling games which are video lottery, and bingo and raffles. Video lottery was legalized in 2013 while bingo and raffles were legislated in 1976. However, those looking for traditional casinos with classic casino games won’t find and in the state. Georgia gambling laws prohibit this type of gambling. The state has some relatively strict laws and they even prohibit horse racing and dog racing betting.
So, are there casinos in Georgia? Well, there aren’t any casinos in Georgia. If you’re planning to visit Georgia, much rather explore its outdoor or immerse yourself in its rich history.
Georgians looking to visit a casino should consider looking for a casino near Georgia. You’ll have to drive to neighbouring states where traditional gambling is legal like Florida, Mississippi, and North Carolina. However, there’s the casino cruise liner which sails into international waters where gambling is legal. Furthermore, if you’re looking to play casino games at home, offshore online casinos are a good option.
Top Casino Sites for US Players
Casinos in Georgia Page Links
- Georgia Gambling Laws
- Online Casinos in Georgia
- Best Casinos in Georgia
- History of Gambling in Georgia
- Casinos in Georgia USA FAQs
Georgia Gambling Laws
Is gambling legal in Georgia? Well, some forms of gambling are permitted in the Peach State while others are restricted. As we mentioned earlier, Georgia has a fairly new gambling industry with some strict gambling laws. Let’s take a look at Georgia gambling laws and see what exactly casinos in Georgia can get away with.
How Georgia Defines Gambling
Since each state sets its own laws around gambling, here’s how Georgia defines gambling: it is the act of “betting upon the final result of a game or contest, or game played with cards, dice, or balls in order to win money or other things of value.” This includes betting on sports and even holding small poker games at your house.
Which Types of Gambling are Legal?
Georgia gambling laws permit the lottery as a legal type of gambling. Therefore, this means that lottery-style games are also allowed. This includes games like:
- Charity bingo that has prize pools smaller than US$1,500 per day or US3,000 per week.
- Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)
- Fantasy 5
- Instant games that are like slots
- Keno
- Mega Millions
- Poker tournaments offering prizes without a buy-in
- Powerball
- Video lottery: a slot-like game that requires some form of skill which affects the outcome of the game. You can’t win cash prizes but you can get things like gift cards, store merchandise, or lottery tickets.
Which Types of Gambling are Illegal?
Georgia gambling laws marks these types of gambling as illegal:
- Casinos in Georgia
- Chain letters
- Dog fighting
- Dog racing
- Election betting
- Horse racing
- Maintaining gambling equipment
- Pyramid clubs
- Raffles and lotteries that aren’t for charity
Online Casinos in Georgia
There aren’t any state-regulated online casinos in Georgia. The only casino gaming that’s online for is the state lottery. Georgians can buy lottery tickets online and play other lottery games like keno. Online keno draws take place every three and a half minutes.
Additionally, those that are fans of fantasy sports betting can do it online. Online fantasy sports betting sites are allowed to operate in the state.
Best Casinos in Georgia
Casinos in Georgia are currently prohibited. The only gambling game Georgians are allowed to play are video lottery games. These can be found at convenience stores and bars across the state. However, it’s important to note that they don’t have cash prizes.
For those looking for casinos in Georgia but don’t want to cross state lines, there’s the casino cruise liner – the Emerald Princess Casino. Docked in Brunswick, Georgia, the liner sails three miles out into international waters where gambling is allowed. Furthermore, there’s a fine dining restaurant on deck. Players need to be 21 years old in order to be allowed on the casino liner.
The Emerald Princess Liner features:
- Four-decks
- 250 Vegas-style slots
- 12 blackjack tables
- 1 craps table
- 2 roulette wheels
- 1 Stud poker table
- 4 Texas Hold’em tables
- A Triple Time poker table
Another option is to look for casinos near me with slot machines. The closest casinos near Georgia are in North Carolina on Cherokee reservations. There are two tribal casinos which are about 155 miles away from Atlanta – the Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Murphy casinos.
History of Gambling in Georgia
The history of gambling in Georgia has been a somewhat conservative one. Only in 1976 was charitable gambling legalized when the state allowed raffles and bingo games for charities. Then, in 1992, Georgians voted to create a state lottery. In its first week, a total of 52 million tickets were sold, reaching the sales goal of US$463 million in five months. In that very same year, a weekly lottery game along with a keno game was launched.
Then, the state added video lottery games to the list in 2013. These were the Georgia’s equivalent of gas station slot machines which can also be found in bars. In 2014, the state then launched online games where players could buy lottery tickets, and play keno and a slot-like game online.
Casinos in Georgia FAQs
No, there aren’t any traditional casinos in the state of Georgia. However, there’s the Emerald Casino boat Brunswick GA. This is a casino liner which sails into international waters where gambling is legal.
The closest casino to Atlanta, GA is in North Carolina which is about 122 miles away.
The minimum gambling age in Georgia casino is 21 years old.
No, slot machines aren’t legal in Georgia.
Georgia lottery machines are located at gas stations, convenience stores, and bars all over the state.
Yes, you can buy Georgia Lottery tickets over the internet?
No, horse racing isn’t legal in this state.
Poker games that don’t require a buy-in are legal in the Peach State.
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