Efforts to legalize commercial casinos and a lottery in Alabama appears doomed only days after a bill was introduced in the legislature.
A gambling bill faced a similar fate last year, and Sen. Greg Albritton, a key supporter of expanded gaming in the state, now believes the issue may not be revived for 20 years.
“It’s been dead for 25 years,” said Albritton on a local radio show. “Why not another 20?”
That comes after Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger announced last week that a gaming bill would be dead in the Senate and would not be introduced.
“We’ve been struggling with this for 25-26 years already … I don’t see anything changing,” Albritton told AL.com. “We’ve tried everything we can on this bill over the years. One thing has been proven is that it doesn’t matter what the bills say, period. If the word ‘gaming’ or ‘gambling’ shows up on the page, it’s a ‘no’ vote.”
Bill Dead After Just a Few Days
Albritton’s two-bill gaming package was released Thursday and allowed for a lottery, electronic gambling in former greyhound tracks and some other locations, sports betting, and a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians for up to four casinos.
Online casinos were one of the few things Alabama wouldn’t legalize under Albritton’s proposal.
If approved, the proposals would require a constitutional amendment approved by voters with a vote planned for Sept. 16. Albritton viewed the bill as a way to keep gaming revenue in the state. But now that appears out of the question. Even when releasing the bills, he admitted that he didn’t yet have the votes in the Senate.
Some legislators had concerns about how gaming funds would be earmarked, which created some opposition.
“One of the problems you run into is that you have an agreement on certain things and then you see them change one thing on it and you get another vote and then lose someone else,” Sen. Keith Kelley said. “It’s a tricky situation. You have everyone wanting a piece of the pie. You get 140 people in the legislature looking at this and everyone wanting something different.”
There appears to be support among Alabama residents for expanded gaming. A 2023 poll by KAConsulting found that 80% support a lottery and 64% support casinos, and was made up of 60% of residents identifying as Republican.
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