A comprehensive gambling package that included mobile sports betting emerged from the Alabama House of Representatives but has been dramatically altered by the state Senate. Therefore, it would appear sports betting will not be a question for the voters on the Alabama ballot in November.
Let’s explore the primary challenges the bill has encountered and examine what the outlook implies for the future of online sportsbooks in Alabama.
Baby Steps
Alabama is one of only five states without a lottery and has only three tribal casinos, including Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Montgomery and Wind Creek Wetumpka, which are all operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. However, those casinos carry only a Class II gambling license, which means they cannot offer table games or slot machines, per se.
Therefore, when the House presented and approved a sweeping comprehensive gaming package that included seven commercial casinos, a lottery and mobile sports betting, it was a stark departure from the conservative tact that the state has taken for decades. Yet, the bill that was presented to the Senate and the shell of it that came after are two decidedly different pieces of legislation.
The Senate voted 22-11 in favor of this highly altered version.
It has stripped away the commercial casinos and sports betting provisions but kept the lottery section. It would also include negotiating with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians about giving them a full Class III casino license that would allow them true slots and not historical racing machines that are currently found on premises.
Speaking of historical racing machines, they would be allowed at existing bingo halls in the counties of Houston, Lowndes and Greene, while also being permitted at the state’s four-dog tracks. The bill will now return to the House where it will be discussed. Should it pass the House, the voters will vote on it at a special referendum on September 10th but if not, it would go back to committee hearings.
Compromise Solutions
It is still too early to tell how members of the House will view this dramatically amended legislation, but it is a step in the right direction for voters who want their say in the matter. The last time the Alabama electorate voted on a lottery bill was in 1999 when it failed to pass by a 56% to 44% margin.
Senator Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, the driving force for the bill in the Senate, commented on the first steps toward expanding legal gambling in the state by saying, “Those are the things that we’re trying to get started with and capturing that, controlling it, regulating it, getting the enforcement division set up and doing our job as a state to control this industry.”
Republican Rep. Chris Blackshear, the sponsor of the House bill, stated he would review the bill in its amended form and work for a solution. “We want to take our time, be very deliberate,” Blackshear said.
Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton spoke of the bill going to a conference committee where all concerns will be addressed. “I think that conference is where we’ll be able to get a product out that will satisfy both Houses,” Singleton said. “I don’t know what that is going to look like. But we will have a comprehensive game plan, hopefully,” Singleton said.
