The Alabama House recently voted to non-concur with the state Senate version of a gambling package that would establish a state lottery and require a gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
The bills will go to a conference committee including three representatives and three senators. If they can reach a compromise, a voter referendum would be held to approve changing the state constitution to allow a lottery and other forms of gambling.
The House originally passed a package including a lottery, casinos and legal sports betting. The Senate amended the bills to keep the lottery but not sports betting or casinos other than those operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The Senate’s proposal would allow parimutuel gambling on horse and dog racing, simulcast races and historical horse racing at the state’s four former greyhound tracks and three other locations.
Both the House and Senate plans included establishing a gaming commission to regulate gambling statewide and negotiating a compact with the Poarch Creeks. Under both plans, 17 local constitutional amendments that permit bingo in certain counties would be repealed.
A team of House lawmakers worked on the bills for 14 months. According to the Montgomery Advisor, House Gaming Study Group Chairman state Representative Andy Whitt said the House version would generate $1.2 billion annually for the state.
“The lottery revenue alone would make attending community college for thousands of Alabama’s students possible and bolster school safety in our K-12 schools,” he said. “Simply put, the Senate plan leaves $800 million on the table and I hope to find a solution to this in conference.”
State Representative Chris Blackshear also had issues with the Senate’s plan.
Per the Advisor, he said, “More than 14 months went into crafting this package, the first comprehensive gaming plan to ever pass in the Alabama House of Representatives. I truly feel that the House’s final product is what the people want to vote on. I have serious concerns with the Senate’s substitute legislation.
“It rewards those who have operated illegally for decades by handing them licenses without an open-bid process, utilizes lottery revenue to fund non-education expenses and fails to adequately regulate sports wagering, which is one of the most prevalent forms of illegal gaming in Alabama.”
In a statement, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said, “From the very beginning, we had three key goals with the House’s comprehensive legislation. Those included eliminating illegal gaming operations in the state of Alabama, developing a framework for the taxation and regulation of facilities that obtain licenses through an open-bid process and establishing a lottery that benefits education and education only. 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. I am hopeful that members of the House and Senate are successful in finding a compromise that positions them to do just that.”
In an interview with Alabama Daily News, state Senator Greg Albritton did not seem optimistic about the legislation passing.
He said, “I may be wrong, but my take on this is that the House does not have the votes to concur. But if we go to conference, what changes will be acceptable to both bodies and particularly where both bodies will probably have to change the constitutional amendment, which will require a three-fifths vote in each house. That’s a very heavy lift.”
The House plan called for a voter referendum on Nov. 5 and the Senate proposed a special election in September. The session is set to adjourn May 20.
