AL Gambling Bill For Lottery, Casinos, Sports Betting Reaches House Floor Vote

• SB 319 would allow for sports betting to come to Alabama.
• Casinos and a state lottery would also be approved with the bill.

MONTGOMERY, Al. - Alabama sports bettors and gamblers should be grinning from ear to ear right now as a bill that would approve of sports betting, casinos and a state lottery has moved to the House of Representatives floor for a vote.

If passed by the house, SB 319 would bring the matter to the November 2022 ballot. This is a monumental step for Alabama residents as the last time that they had the opportunity to bet on a gaming bill was back in 1999.

The bill would not only allow for sports betting but also for a state lottery system to be formed as well as nine casinos that will be located across the state in Macon County, Mobile, Houston County, and Birmingham just to name a few.

Prior to the House vote, the senate had to give their approval as well in which they did with flying colors on a 23-9 vote in favor of the bill.

Looking at other moving pieces of the bill, both sports betting and legal gambling at casinos will start at a tax rate of 20% and every five years, it could be raised by 2% until it reached 30% potentially.

Aside from the legality and the parts that come together to make the bill, there are high expectations as well in terms of the revenue that it could bring in. All in all, the state is projecting a total revenue somewhere between $510 million and $710 million. Of those revenue projections, sports betting is projecting $10 million, lottery projections are between $200-$300 million, and Casinos at $300-$400 million.