After seeing efforts at gambling expansion fail in Alabama over the last few years, a state senator is hoping to revive the issue.
Sen. Merika Coleman (D) plans to file a bill allowing voters the opportunity to vote on the state’s gambling industry. According to the Alabama Daily News report, the ballot initiative would add a lottery and expand legal gambling options.
“I have a clean lottery bill that I am very excited about. It’s lottery and gaming,” Coleman said on a “Capitol Journal” broadcast last week. “I think the people of the state of Alabama should have the opportunity to vote yes or no. Do we want this in the state of Alabama?”
Gambling Specifics Come Later
Alabama’s 1901 Constitution bars lotteries and gambling. However, the state does have three tribal casinos owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Coleman’s ballot initiative would simply ask voters a yes or no question on whether they approve of allowing for a lottery and expanded gambling. Then, the Legislature would iron out specifics.
“This is about letting the very smart and intelligent people of Alabama to say yes or no, we want this in our state,” Coleman said.
The senator said expanding gaming would allow the state to keep gambling revenue that is currently being spent in neighboring states.
An Uphill Battle
Whether the bill will see the fate of previous efforts remains to be seen. But Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) recently said that any gambling legislation would have to come out of the Senate. Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger (R) cast doubt on that happening.
“I believe that passing a comprehensive gaming bill in the Senate will require engaging in long-term and intense negotiations among members and securing the needed votes and commitments well before a legislative session even begins,” Gudger said.
Alabama’s neighbors to the east and west are currently considering gaming legislation. Lawmakers in Mississippi are debating whether to add mobile sports betting. In recent years, Georgia attempted casino and sports betting legalization efforts.
In South Carolina, efforts to legalize casinos appear to have failed once again this year.
