Georgia
Georgia’s pro-Western president slams country’s ‘illegitimate’ parliament after failed vote to join EU sparks mass protests
Georgia’s pro-Western president says she will remain in office until new elections are held to replace the country’s “illegitimate” anti-West parliament, which withdrew from talks to join the European Union, sparking mass protests.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who was set to be replaced by the opposing parliament Dec. 14, said she is following the will of the people by staying to oversee new elections — after four consecutive days of protests following allegations that last month’s parliamentary elections were fixed and the ruling body then dashing hopes for Georgia to join the EU.
The president’s move will likely set up a new political showdown between her and the Moscow-aligned parliament.
“What we’re seeing today is really the civil society taking over because the state is falling apart,” Zourabichvili told the BBC over the weekend.
“I’m offering this stability for the transition, because what these people on the streets are demanding is a call for new elections in order to restore this country and its European path,” she added.
Thousands of demonstrators in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and other cities across the country continued to march Sunday, clashing with police and throwing fireworks in demonstrations aimed against the pro-Russian parliament.
The protests carried on despite violent clashes where crowds were met by riot police firing water cannons and tear gas.
The governing Georgian Dream Party, which has been in power since 2012, has been accused of fixing elections while trying to move away from the EU and align the country with Moscow, which briefly invaded Georgia in 2008.
Zourabichvili accused the ruling party of removing any independent institution in the nation and steering Georgia under its pro-Russian whims.
“I am president because I’ve been elected by the people, and I’m president until the time when it’s inauguration for a president who is legitimately elected by a legitimately elected parliament,” she said of her plan to remain in office.
The European Parliament issued a resolution Thursday slamming the ruling party as responsible for the “worsening democratic crisis” in the nation, echoing allegations that the party engaged in voter intimidation and manipulation in its bid for control over the country.
After the resolution, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze decided to throw out talks of joining the EU “until the end of 2028.”
Kobakhidze accused the pro-Western opposition of planning a coup, and the State Security Service said political parties were attempting to “overthrow the government by force.”
The prime minister claimed 50 officers were injured in the protests by people who allegedly “threw Molotov cocktails, pyrotechnics, glass, stones at the police.”
The US has slammed the decision to suspend the process of joining the EU, with the Biden administration saying it “goes against the promise to the Georgian people enshrined in their constitution to pursue full integration into the European Union and NATO.”
American officials said Saturday that the US was suspending its strategic partnership with Georgia over the “anti-democratic actions.”
Georgia’s ambassadors to Bulgaria, Netherlands and Italy have also resigned in protest of their government’s decision.
With Post wires
Georgia baseball players were setting up to take a photo in front of the Foley Field scoreboard with an “OmaDawgs,” graphic on it when fans in the standing room seats and on Kudzu Hill in right field serenaded the team.
“Oh-Ma-Ha! Oh-Ma-Ha!”
It was a moment that a Bulldog team had not experienced for 18 years.
David Perno, the Georgia coach for that 2008 team, and his star player, Gordon Beckham, were in the house on a day the Bulldogs clinched an 11-9 victory over Mississippi State that sent them to Omaha.
The game on Sunday, June 7, took four hours and 14 minutes and wasn’t decided until the 10th inning with two runners on when Justin Byrd struck out Jacob Parker swinging on a 1-2 pitch.
“Kind of just willing it to happen,” catcher Daniel Jackson said. “The second it hit my glove, just knowing it was over, was an incredible feeling.”
Georgia, now 51-12, celebrated. They are used to it after soaking up SEC regular season, SEC tournament and NCAA regional titles this season.
A few Georgia players even jumped up to sit on the center field fence.
Coach Wes Johnson shared a long embrace and then a kiss with his wife, Angie, near the Georgia dugout.
The former Minnesota Twins pitching coach was emotional in the postgame press conference, too, when he said how much making it to the College World Series in his third season means.
“People don’t understand the sacrifices you make to do that,” he said. “The birthdays you miss, anniversaries. A lot.”
Johnson took over a Georgia program that went 0-for-5 in regionals in 2009, 2011, 2018, 2019 and 2022, until his first team featuring Charlie Condon got to a super regional in 2024.
After the win Sunday, Johnson’s voice was cracking when he mentioned Condon sticking with Georgia after he arrived.
“Could have left, didn’t, helped us build this thing,” Johnson, wearing a super regional champions cap, said.
N.C. State stopped them in three games in 2024 to end their season one game short of the CWS.
Georgia then was bounced in the regionals a year ago, again as a national seed.
This one came just over three years after Georgia hired Johnson.
“We think we found the leader to take us to the next level in baseball,” athletic director Josh Brooks said at Johnson’s introductory press conference.
Johnson was on the way then to Omaha where LSU won the College World Series.
“That’s something I want to do here as well,” he said then.
His team now is headed there for just the seventh time in program history.
Johson also went to the CWS with Arkansas in 2018 when the Razorbacks reached the finals.
Georgia will head to Omaha as the highest remaining national seed at No.3 with the momentum that comes with going 8-0 in the postseason, starting with the SEC Tournament.
It will play on the biggest stage in college baseball, but the Bulldogs weren’t ready to turn the page quite yet.
“We’ll soak it in for about 12 to 24 hours and then get right back to the grind,” said Jackson, whose 31st homer of the season, a two-run shot over the fence in left field in the 10th inning, broke a tie game.
An hour after the game ended, Byrd and first baseman Bryce Calloway were among players still in uniform on the field soaking up the super regional title with their families.
Branch, one of the four players that have been with Johnson for all three of his Georgia seasons. went from the postgame press conference to the field and was handed the Super Regional trophy that the Bulldogs earned by winning the series 2-0.
“I truly do go home thinking about Omaha and think about going to that place and taking Georgia back to this place,” Branch said, “and securing the legacy that Georgia needs to have in Omaha.”
Georgia is the third-largest state by population, yet it has no regulated real-money online casinos. There are no licensed Georgia online casinos, and legalization is not on the immediate horizon. So how can you actually play online? Sweepstakes and social casinos are the answer.
These platforms let you play slots and table-style games using Gold Coins for fun and Sweeps Coins that can be redeemed for cash prizes once you meet the site’s requirements. No purchase is required to play or redeem prizes, and every platform on this list is currently available to players in Georgia. Here are the best Georgia online casino-style sites worth signing up for in June 2026.
5 Best Georgia Online Casinos in June 2026
1. Crown Coins Casino — Best Overall
Crown Coins is the most consistent platform on this list of Georgia online casinos. The first-purchase bonus gets you up to 1.5 million Crown Coins and 75 free Sweeps Coins, which is competitive, but the reason it ranks first has less to do with your first day than with what happens after. The daily bonus schedule runs like clockwork, weekly events stay consistent and the Sweeps Coins opportunities do not dry up once the welcome window closes.
A 1x playthrough means your SC balance is not buried behind layers of requirements before you can redeem. For Georgia players who want reliability over flash, Crown Coins is the platform that delivers week after week.
2. Mega Bonanza — Best for Daily Value
Mega Bonanza is not trying to win you over with one big signup splash. The first-purchase deal is $9.99 for up to 50,000 Gold Coins and 25 free SC — respectable, but not the biggest number on this page. What earns it a spot is the daily rhythm. The login streak system builds through the week, and by Day 7 the SC accumulation is meaningfully better than what most competitors offer for the same commitment.
Seasonal promotions drop regularly with packages that outperform the standard coin store pricing. Think of it as the online casino Georgia platform you pair with your primary pick to keep your daily SC intake high.
3. Jackpota — Best for Jackpot Slots
Jackpota focuses on one thing and does it well: jackpot-forward slot play. The no-purchase signup bonus lands 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 free Sweeps Coins in your account immediately, and the $19.99 first-purchase package adds 80,000 Gold Coins, 40 Sweeps Coins and 75 free SC spins.
Its 1,500-plus game lobby leans hard into jackpot titles from Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming and BGaming. Playthrough is 1x on Sweeps Coins, and the cash redemption minimum sits at 75 SC — both on the player-friendly end of the spectrum. No VIP program yet, but the daily 1,500 GC and 0.2 SC login bonus keeps things moving.
4. McLuck Casino — Best Game Library
If you want the most games and the most action among legal Georgia online casinos, McLuck is where you go. The 500 free SC plus 60 extra SC on signup is the biggest no-purchase SC haul on this list, and the game library behind it is massive. Bonus drops land throughout the week tied to specific slots or categories, redemptions process faster than average and the mobile app works well — which is not something you can say about every sweepstakes platform.
McLuck is built for players who want to open the app, find something new and stay engaged without waiting around for the next promotional window.
5. WOW Vegas — Best for Slots
WOW Vegas has the deepest slot library in the Georgia online casino space — over 1,500 titles from NetEnt, Big Time Gaming, BGaming and others. The welcome bonus rolls out over three days: 250,000 WOW Coins and 5 free Sweeps Coins total, no purchase needed. If you decide to buy in, $9.99 gets you 1.5 million WOW Coins and 30 SC on your first purchase.
The daily login bonus adds 0.3 SC and 1,500 WOW Coins every 24 hours. Redemptions start at 50 SC for cash prizes, which is lower than the 100 SC threshold you will see at some competitors. For a Georgia player who primarily wants to spin slots, WOW Vegas is the strongest option available.
Are Real-Money Georgia Online Casinos Legal?
No. Georgia has some of the strictest gambling laws in the country. O.C.G.A. Title 16, Chapter 12 defines gambling broadly and classifies commercial gambling as a felony. The state constitution explicitly prohibits casinos and requires voter approval through a constitutional amendment for any gambling expansion — a two-thirds supermajority in the legislature followed by a statewide referendum.
The only legal gambling in Georgia is the state lottery, charitable bingo and certain coin-operated amusement machines. There are no tribal casinos, no commercial casinos, no legal sportsbooks and no licensed online gambling of any kind.
Georgia lawmakers have tried repeatedly to change that. House Resolution 450, which proposed a constitutional amendment to authorize sports betting, came to the House floor on Crossover Day in March 2026 but failed to secure the two-thirds vote needed to advance. House Bill 910, which attempted to classify sports betting as a lottery product under the Georgia Lottery Corporation, also carried over from 2025 but did not pass.
As of June 2026, no gambling expansion bill has advanced far enough to put legal Georgia online casinos or sportsbooks on the near-term horizon, and any renewed push would likely come in a future legislative session.
Georgia law provides that promotional and giveaway contests that meet the state’s lawful promotion standards are not classified as illegal gambling. Because sweepstakes casinos are structured so that no purchase is necessary to play or win, they avoid the “consideration” element that would trigger Georgia’s gambling prohibitions. Every platform on this list uses that model and is currently available to Georgia residents.
How to Sign Up for Georgia Online Casinos
Tap PLAY NOW on any Georgia online casino platform above to get started. Pick a screen name, set a password, enter your email and fill in your home address, phone number and date of birth. The whole process takes a couple of minutes, and your welcome bonus lands in your account as soon as registration is complete.
The Georgia Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State by a final score of 13-12 during game one of the Athens Super Regional. The slugfest quickly became one of the best games throughout all of college baseball this season, and Georgia was able to secure a win in a critical game one against the Bulldogs.
Georgia’s resiliency was on display against Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon. The Dawgs were able to battle back from an early 7-0 deficit, as Mississippi State was firing on all cylinders offensively over the first few innings of play. Georgia as a whole recorded an impressive 16 hits while putting up 13 total runs in the victory, and a win against Mississippi State on Sunday will punch the Bulldogs’ ticket to the College World Series in Ohama, Nebraska. If Georgia loses on Sunday, then Georgia and Mississippi State will compete on Monday in a winner-take-all Game 3 with a trip to the College World Series on the line.
Georgia third baseman Michael O’Shaughnessy was the clear X-factor in the Dawgs’ lineup on Saturday afternoon. The talented senior went 2-for-5 with five RBI’s in the win, including two towering home runs in the fifth and eighth inning. O’Shaughnessy’s eighth inning solo shot ultimately gave Georgia a 13-12 lead, and the third baseman was able to secure the win for the Bulldogs in what was an elite offensive showing at the plate.
“I think that game will go down as an instant classic,” Georgia baseball manager Wes Johnson said after the game. “It was a fun ballgame to be a part of. We can stand up here for a long time and go back through a lot of plays. I want to tip my hat to Joey (Volchko). I thought he was just went out there and continued to compete after having a tough inning. I thought that was huge for us. Obviously, then we had some guys on the mound that came in and missed some spots. The ball was flying today, and it was evident, with 11 homers.”
Georgia will face Mississippi State for Game 2 of the Athens Super Regional on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. ET, as the Bulldogs will look to punch their ticket to the College World Series for the first time in over a decade. Georgia will return star infielder Tre Phelps for Game 2 after he served a suspension for Game 1.
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