With just 10 days left in the legislative session, Georgia lawmakers have a long way to go to pass a sports betting legalization effort.

The Georgia House Higher Education Committee discussed Senate Resolution 579 on Monday. The discussion was only a hearing for the resolution, which works in tandem with Senate Bill 386 to legalize sports betting in Georgia. SB 386 would bring up to 16 betting apps to Georgia, and the legalization effort has the support of the state’s major professional franchises.

Even with some support, the bill’s chances of passing dwindle with each day. Monday’s discussion largely lacked focus and included legislators sharing several inaccurate points about the betting markets in other states. Bill sponsor Bill Cowsert was amenable to suggested changes to the resolution, including where sports betting tax revenue should go.

Currently, the resolution calls for 80% of tax revenue to benefit Georgia educational measures. Another 15% goes to problem gambling treatment and educational programs, and the final 5% goes toward attracting major sporting events to take place in Georgia.

Committee Chairman Chuck Martin made it clear quickly he won’t support the fund to attract major sporting events, as he doesn’t believe those types of funds should be guaranteed annual funding.

“You can move on past that one,” Martin said.

Georgia’s House of Representatives has never successfully passed a sports betting bill, and Monday illustrated some of the reasons why. In addition to moral concerns about legalizing sports betting, there are still unknowns about where to send tax revenue and even basic questions about why the bill exists.

The enabling legislation (SB 386) doesn’t currently match the resolution (SR 579) on where to send tax revenue. Cowsert estimates legal sports betting could generate about $50 million annually in tax revenue in Georgia, an amount he considers “insignificant.” That’s led to him being open to sending tax revenue just about anywhere, which means numerous legislators are trying to steer revenue in different directions.

“Part of the reason that I’m so negotiable is because I don’t think the bucket is that big,” Cowsert said.

The lack of projected tax revenue left some legislators wondering why the bill even exists.

“Since we’re not gonna really make any money based on what you’re saying, and then we’re gonna have people gambling, and then we’ve gotta take care of them, then why are we even doing this?” Rep. Rhonda Burnough said. “What’s the purpose?”

Cowsert replied by saying Georgians want access to legal betting apps, and he believes they should have a chance to vote on the topic.

Still, there hasn’t been much urgency in the House to come to an agreement on the best way to move sports betting legalization forward. The conversations around where to send tax revenue remain vague and indecisive, and committee hearings haven’t led to much public progress.

With just over a week left in the legislative session, sports betting doesn’t seem like a top priority. The session isn’t over yet, but significant progress will need to be made in a short amount of time for the topic of sports betting legalization to reach voters in November.