Georgia still hasn’t legalized online betting of any kind. It is one of 12 remaining states in the United States with a complete ban on it.
Due to this, in-state bettors are getting antsy. Their best option left to gamble online is to use an offshore betting site, which there are many of.
But there’s a new lawsuit against offshore betting sites inside Georgia that’s worth monitoring. Let us tell you what’s going on before we get into whether it’ll have any effect on the Georgia market:
VGW Hit With A Class-Action Lawsuit
There’s an online gaming company that goes by VGW. From our digging, they appear to operate out of Malta — a popular destination for offshoring. VGW is mostly an online casino operator with games like Luckyland Slots, Global Poker, and Chumba Casino. It doesn’t appear they have a sportsbook, only casino games they license out.
Welp, there’s someone in Georgia named Destiny Kennedy mad at VGW for unlawfully operating and marketing’s its gambling websites within Georgia — despite the in-state ban. According to Kennedy, VGW shouldn’t be advertising in the first place. Moreover, they advertised it as “fun gameplay”, which drew Kennedy’s ire.
A noteworthy quote from the lawsuit reads: “VGW proactively defrauds Georgia citizens because VGW advertises that its operations are legitimate and legal when, in reality, VGW knowingly and willfully operates what constitutes an illegal gambling enterprise.”
It seems what sparked Kennedy’s lawsuit is losing money on the platforms. The suit has the following line tucked into it, “plaintiff lost approximately $1,150, playing the casino games of chance that are promoted and operated by VGW on these internet websites.”’ We don’t know Kennedy, but it’s hard not to read between the lines and think this is just a scorned bettor trying to enact revenge. We guess to some people, $1,150 is life-changing money. That’s chump change for many users of popular betting apps, but hey, who are we to judge?
Kennedy is leading the lawsuit, but she — yes, it’s a girl, not a guy — won’t be alone. The plan is for Kennedy to represent a class of Georgia gamblers who lost bets playing Chumba Casino, Global Poker, or LuckyLand Slots during a certain period. The lawsuit is contending VGW is VGW is violating Georgia Code § 13-8-3.
We’re far from legal experts, however, it’s hard to not think this lawsuit is frivolous in nature. That doesn’t mean Kennedy can’t win it, but it feels like sour grapes and a way to recoup and make even more than she lost playing virtual slots.
Will This Affect Other Georgia Offshore Betting Sites?
This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Is it possible that other offshore betting sites could also be impacted by the VGW lawsuit? Look, it’s possible, but we wouldn’t get too concerned about it.
First of all, there’s no telling if Kennedy will even win her lawsuit. That’s the first domino that has to fall to get anything changed beyond that.
Even then, in the event of a win, the outcome is pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Kennedy lost a whopping $1000 and she might get a few more hundred locals in the case. Do you really think politicians are going to care about one grand and a few hundred residents? Probably not, especially during an election year like 2024.
What’s the saying, “have bigger fish to fry?” Yeah, that’s applicable to this case. Out of all the issues plaguing the state, unlawful advertising of casino gambling that barely impacts the community isn’t going to end up on their radar.
What Should Georgia Bettors Do?
We’ll be completely blunt and say the prospects of Georgia legalizing betting are slim. Real slim. It was already dashed in 2024 when no vote was even put into motion at the state level, which kicks the issue into 2025 — IF lawmakers want to address it.
Reports say the big holdup in 2024 was tax revenue. Apparently, the lawmakers couldn’t decide who should get what and how much they should get. Usually, when there’s big money on the line — which there is in Georgia’s betting market — people figure out how to get it done, but this was a notable exception.
This is why we recommend that bettors keep using offshore betting sites. They remain Georgia resident’s best way to get action online — whether that’s on sports (Falcons and Dogs seasons are right around the corner), casino, or horse-racing.
Personally, we don’t recommend VGW. We had never heard of them before this breaking news. However, we have reviewed hundreds of leading online sportsbooks and know which ones are MOST worth using. The five below certainly make the cut:
What makes these sportsbooks the best in the business? Well, a lot of things but one is the lucrative promotional bonuses they offer. New bettors of the site stand to gain hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play from the sites — money to fund your betting for the next several weeks. The table above lists our favorite offers so pick one and you’re off to the races!
