Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has long favored sports betting. But to date, the legislature hasn’t obliged. And it looks like 2024 won’t prove successful.
The Senate came up with a comprehensive lottery bill but removed casinos and sports betting from the package. A conference committee has been named in Alabama with plans to meet this week.
With nine legislative days remaining, even if the committee responds with an agreement, the deal isn’t done. Each chamber must approve the bill with 60 percent of the vote, and then it would go before voters in September, according to Legal Sports Report.
“They had it for three weeks, we worked on it for 15 months, and I think there are some details we can provide to them that may help them understand why we sent the package that we did to them,” Representative Chris Blackshear said.
Senator Greg Albritton told 1819 News he has concerns that differences in each chamber are too large to bridge, especially on short notice. “All of those are uphill battles,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult.”
The original bill called for up to 10 brick-and-mortar casinos and online sports betting, along with pari-mutuel betting and historical horse racing. The chambers differ on tax rate, with the Senate setting it at 24 percent, and the House setting it at 32.
Neighbor Mississippi faces a similar situation, except the state already has plenty of casinos and in-person sports betting.
The Mississippi House opposed the Senate’s version of what was initially a mobile sports betting bill, opening up the door to finding common ground through the committee.
Senators approved a HB 774 with no mobile sports betting-related provisions, although they did so to help the bill survive several legislative deadlines and to continue discussions about whether Mississippi should authorize statewide mobile wagering.
“There is no new language,” said Senator David Blount, chairman of the chamber’s gaming committee, last week. “I anticipate the House will invite conference when we send this back over to them.”
Blount acknowledged that talks were also happening behind the scenes.
Mississippi has sportsbooks at almost 30 retail casinos. Customers can also use a mobile app if on some properties, but statewide mobile betting is not legal.
