Alabama Senate Committee Strips Sports Betting From Gaming Bills

• The Alabama Senate Tourism Committee stripped sports betting from two expansive gaming bills
• The committee moved the bills forward to the Senate floor
• House of Representatives may not approve changes

The Alabama Senate Tourism Committee yesterday moved two gaming bills out of committee to the Senate floor, but sports betting hopefuls may not like what they see.

The committee passed both HB 151 and HB 152, but stripped sports betting from the legislation and greatly reduced the number of casinos the state would see. Sen. Greg Albritton (R-22) presented the changes at yesterday’s committee meeting.

The bills now allow for up to three tribal casinos, a state lottery, parimutuel wagering, and historical horse racing.

Sports Betting Stripped from Package

Changes were hinted at for the gaming bills during Tourism committee meeting last week and they became a reality on Tuesday afternoon. The original gaming bills called for up to 10 casinos in the state, in-person and online sports betting, and a state lottery.

Now, sports betting is entirely stripped from the gaming packages and only three tribal casinos will be allowed. The state lottery still remains in the legislation, as well as parimutuel wagering on horse and dog races at seven facilities. Historical horse racing will also be allowed at those seven facilities as well.

When asked why sports betting was not being addressed in these bills, Albritton said the answer was simple.

“The reason for it, frankly, is we do not have the votes to get those incorporated here. So what we have is a reduced package from what we received from the House to accommodate and to match what we can vote to get through,” he said.

The legalization of sports betting was holding up the gaming package, Albritton said.

The state is leaving money on the table by not including sports betting in this legislation, Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-24) said during the committee meeting. State residents are betting with unregulated, illegal offshore sports betting services and Alabama is losing out on tax revenues.

“We’re leaving a whole lot of money in the state. We know it’s going on in this state on a regular basis. Can someone explain that to me?”

Despite his protests, and a few others from several committee members, the bills received a favorable report and were moved to the Senate floor. The Senate will have to approve the legislation by a three-fifths majority since a constitutional amendment is required for passage.

If approved by the Senate, the bills will be sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence on the changes. The House is unlikely to agree to the sweeping changes, so the legislation may then head to a conference committee for Senate and House representatives to work through their differences on the bills.

New Gaming Bill Details

With sports betting stripped and the number of casinos reduced in the bills, what exactly do the new gaming bills now contain?

The legislation will do the following:

• Creates a state lottery
• Creates the Alabama Gaming Commission to regulate the lottery and gaming
• Allows for parimutuel wagering on dog and horse races at four racetracks in Greene, Jefferson, Macon and Mobile counties, at two bingo halls in White Hall and Houston County, and one more facility in Greene
• All seven of these facilities will also be able to offer historical horse racing
• Requires governor to negotiate a gaming compact with Poarch Band of Creek Indians
• Allows for up to three tribal casinos