Summary:
- Two bills would create gambling expansion in the state.
- Casino gaming, sports betting, and the lottery are on the table.
- The original legislation has been altered in the Senate
Lawmakers in Alabama are back in the House and Senate this week, set to discuss two gambling bills. The legislation is moving quickly through the House, but Senate members seem to be less willing to approve gambling law changes.
A big legal challenge involving IVF-related issues has caused the state to pause gambling talks until this week.
More on the Bills
House Bill 151 would repeal constitutional amendments that allow gambling in select sections of the state. Based on the bill’s language, the constitutional prohibition on gambling will be abolished.
A second bill in the House, HB152, would legalize casino gaming in specific locations and allow for a state lottery and online sports betting. Each bill passed in the House in February. However, the bills were passed in the Senate last month with changes.
The Senate wants to see provisions made for the state lottery and a mandate that the governor sign a new gambling compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
The Senate measure removes sports betting, online gambling, or new casinos that are not operated by the tribe. The Senate will vote on the constitutional amendment change on September 10.
Senate Bills Await Action in the House
The Senate bill is very different from the House’s original measures and includes pari-mutuel wagering on historical horse races. The games would be allowed at bingo halls and racetracks in the state.
After an almost month delay, the Senate measures will be considered in the House. Lawmakers have returned from Spring Break, and the debate will continue. The House can choose to concur with the changes, vote to non-concur, and have a meeting to discuss the differences, or they can leave the bills pending, which stops the process.
This may be the issue that stops Alabama from progressing forward with gambling expansion yet again. The state is super conservative, so, surprisingly, gambling is on the table at all. Now that the Senate has made changes, we could see a stalemate if the House disagrees with the new bill language.
Residents of Alabama desperately want a state lottery and would love to see additional gambling options. However, if lawmakers cannot agree on how services should occur in the state, we may see it take even longer for more gambling to come to fruition.
As a resident of the state, I hope to see both chambers work together to bring some form of gambling to Alabama so the state can modernize and have more money for education and other much-needed projects.
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