Alabama Gambling Bill Fails In Last Ditch Effort

• Last minute efforts to pass sports betting, a state lottery, and other gaming platforms has failed in the Alabama House of Representatives today.
• The bill failed to be brought up in time for a referendum on Monday, which was the final day of session for Alabama lawmakers.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The push for legal gambling in Alabama has taken a final loss on Monday.

Last minute efforts to call a referendum on certain legal gambling and sports betting platforms failed to reach a vote Monday as AL lawmakers ran out of time during the final day of session.

The new bill, with backing from Governor Kay Ivey, would have allowed nine casinos in the state of Alabama, regulated sports betting throughout the state, a state lottery, and overall legal gambling implementations into a state that has none.

The Republican-backed plan initially passed the Senate back in early April, where it moved on to the House. There, the bill needed support from Democratic constituents to muster the required three fifths majority vote in order to pass.

The bill was initially on the calendar for May 6, but negotiation between the two parties proved fruitless.

Democrats wanted revenue from the casinos to be used towards Medicaid, while Republicans wanted to shut down electronic bingo locations in Greene and Lowndes counties.

Ultimately, neither side was able to come to a compromise, leading to an overall loss for the advancement of legal gambling.

There was a brief movement of a bill that only included the lottery, but it did not receive enough steam in the little time it was allotted.

“For a bill of that magnitude, it really needs to be vetted well. It needs everybody at the table and trying to work out any issues that we might have,” said House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter. “That’s kind of what got us. We just didn’t have enough time. Maybe knowing now where everybody stands, that might give a better opportunity in the future to look at something.”

The move to provide a form of legal gambling, namely legal casino betting was intended by lawmakers to bring back some lost revenue to the state while regulating gambling statewide.

It is possible that Gov. Ivey could call a special session in order to get a movement passed like those being held in Florida, but no news has come out to that extent yet.

In the meantime, those in Alabama will have to wait another year before any legislation can move forward on the issue.