Gaming bills die in the state Senate
The Alabama Legislature failed to pass heavily debated gaming bills on Thursday, the final day of the state’s legislative session.
The Alabama House voted in favor of the Conference Committee compromise of the ongoing gaming bills on April 30. House Bill 151 passed by a vote of 72 to 29 and House Bill 152 by a vote of 70 to 29.
However, the concurred bills failed to make it to the Senate floor. Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Baldwin County, who sponsored the bills in the Senate, said he would have voted no on the bills after they passed in the House. The bills needed 21 yes votes to pass, and Albritton’s flip left them with 20.
“I want to publicly thank this body ... It’s amazing when you work together as a team, when things don’t have Rs or Ds by their names,” said Rep. Russell Blackshear, when the bills passed in the House, hours before the Senate failed to do the same. Blackshear authored both bills.
The legislation would have allowed for a state education lottery, electronic games of chance, traditional raffles and traditional paper bingo. Tables, cards, dice and dealers would have still been prohibited.
It would also have authorized the Alabama educational lottery to be paper only, while allowing electronic games of chance at seven locations throughout the state. No other locations would have been granted without new legislation being passed in both bodies and voted on by the citizens of the state.
The lottery was set to be solely for education, with all other forms of gaming going to general funds. Alabamians would also have been able to participate in national lotteries including the Mega Million and Powerball lotteries.
Sports betting was cut from the bill and would have remained unauthorized.
The Alabama Gaming Commission, created by HB152, would have regulated the approved forms of gambling and worked to stop cases of illegal gambling in the state. Gov. Kay Ivey would have also been required to enter negotiations for a compact with a Poarch Band of Creek Indians to limit to in-person activities on land.
The last time gaming of any kind was on a ballot in Alabama was 1999, and it was defeated in a statewide vote.
Gov. Kay Ivey said she would not call a special session to address the gaming bills.
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at vhagan@gannett.com or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.