Lawmakers in Alabama say they will once again introduce legislation to create a constitutional amendment authorizing a lottery and Class III casino gaming in the spring 2022 session. The Alabama Senate passed a constitutional amendment last April to authorize gaming, but the measure stalled in the House of Representatives.
Republican Senator Greg Albritton told the Associated Press he plans to introduce the proposed constitutional amendment that would create a state lottery and authorize a Class III casino compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which currently operates three Class II casinos in the state, in addition to its ownership of Wind Creek Bethlehem commercial casino in Pennsylvania.
“This simply needs to get off our plate, off the table. We need to deal with this and waiting another year is not going to help us. That would just be revenue thrown aside or thrown away,” Albritton told the AP.
The Republican House leadership is skeptical the legislation will pass in the spring session, with lawmakers facing primaries in May.
“I would be very surprised if it would pass in a regular session in an election year,” Republican Rep. Steve Clouse, chairman of the House general fund budget committee, told the AP. “By the time we get toward to end of March first of April people are going to be antsy to get out of there.”
Robbie McGhee, vice chairman of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians Tribal Council, believes that giving the voters a choice in an upcoming referendum is the right way to pass it .
“I think this is the perfect opportunity to say, ‘That I’m going to give the power to people to make this decision,’” McGhee said.
Last year, the Senate passed a bill that, in addition to approving a compact with the Poarch Band, would have also given existing dog tracks and electronic bingo operations the ability to host casino gaming as well. But Albriitton’s bill does not mention these facilities and would be opposed by those operators who don’t believe that giving the tribe a monopoly with casino gaming is the right move.
