Alabama House of Representatives Approves Gambling Bill
Efforts at legalizing a lottery, sports betting, and allowing additional casinos around the state made some progress recently in Alabama after the house gave a gaming bill the go-ahead in a 70-32 vote last week.
The issue now heads to the state senate where it first will be studied at the committee level. Sen. Greg Albritton (R) is sponsoring the bill, but has said the issue faces some headwinds. He said Republicans, who control the state legislature, must look over the issue before voting at the committee level.
“You’ll have to ask opponents and proponents of said issue,” Albritton told the Alabama Reflector. “I don’t know. We’ve got casinos now, and they’ve continued to increase. All we’re trying to do with the bill is decrease them. So I don’t know if they want more or not. I can’t figure it out.”
Work Still Needed
Albritton has made similar efforts in recent years, but none of those have reached fruition. Legislators have been more hopeful during this session but obstacles remain.
The gaming bill would allow seven casinos, each paying a $5 million fee and requiring an initial investment of $35 million. The bill would establish a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow expanded gaming. Alabama is one of only five states without a lottery.
Along with the gaming bill, a second bill also sets tax rates for the industry and details how revenues would be distributed and enforcement policies.
“Lottery proceeds would go into an account that could be used to fund education programs, such as post-secondary scholarships and dual enrollment programs,” the Reflector reports. “Casino and sports wagering revenue could be used for anything; the bill suggests mental health services and a ‘rural health’ program that resembles Medicaid expansion. The Legislature would have wide latitude in appropriating the money.”
Getting the bills across the finish line may not be easy, according to Albritton. Republicans control 27 of 35 seats in the senate and shoring up support among his own caucus will be key to reaching the three-fourths support needed to approve the bills. While Albritton has said a majority of the senate would support the bill, he still believed a few more Republican senators were needed.
