Legislative chambers remain split on how to bring gaming to the Yellowhammer State.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the Alabama House of Representatives nixed the Senate’s scaled-back plan on Thursday that wouldn’t allow sports betting or up to 10 casinos.
The House favors bringing sports betting and commercial casinos with table games to Alabama, but there are members of the Senate set on keeping those gaming elements out of the Yellowhammer State.
“The optimism is gone,” Sen. Greg Albritton, who handled the bill in the Senate, said. “There is plenty of middle ground. There is plenty of opportunity. What we are battling is entrenchment.”
The Senate approved the lottery portion of the bill but is against allowing online and retail sports betting or casinos outside of Poarch Band of Creek Indians' land.
Search for compromise
After Thursday’s non-concur following a March 7 decision by the Senate, the House moved on the gambling bill for the first time in four weeks and sent it to a conference committee.
Members from both chambers will seek to reach a compromise that suits both sides.
If a deal can be reached and three-fifths of both chambers can agree in the next 11 days, a constitutional amendment change will be presented to voters that would allow the lottery, sports betting, and casinos to launch in Alabama.
For the people
The Yellowhammer State is bordered by three states – Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida – that offer some form of online sports betting — retail or both.
Georgia is still looking to legalize sports betting, although it doesn’t appear it will happen in 2024.
Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said in a released statement that the goal of the House’s legislation is to eliminate illegal gaming operations, develop a framework for the taxation and regulation of gaming as well as establish an educational-benefiting lottery.
“If one thing has been made clear throughout this process, it’s that the people of Alabama want and deserve an opportunity to vote on this issue,” Ledbetter said. “I am hopeful that members of the House and Senate are successful in finding a compromise that positions them to do just that.”
