Alabama state Senator Greg Albritton’s paper-ticket lottery bill recently was a runner-up for the state legislature’s annual Shroud Award, a dark suit mounted in a cardboard coffin, bestowed upon the session’s “deadest bill.” The constitutional amendment passed the Senate but failed a procedural motion in the House by a single vote.
State Rep. Ed Oliver said the only way the legislature can create a lottery bill the public can vote on is to end the Poarch Creek Indians’ political influence. “I believe it can be overcome but it may be a long, long time,” he said.
Oliver said the House lottery bill failed due to legislators opposed to any form of gambling; competing plans allowing dog tracks in Macon and Greene counties to offer the same electronic gaming machines as those at Poarch Creek Indian casinos; lawmakers wanting some gambling revenue to go toward education; and the Poarch Creek’s powerful lobby.
Oliver noted, “The lottery might be salvageable but there will be a tremendous amount of pressure from the Poarch Creek Indians. They don’t want competition. They lobby like anybody else but they happen to have more money than anybody else.” He added, “It’s very frustrating to hammer something out you know is right and in the end it doesn’t matter. There are groups who are not going to vote for a lottery no matter what and the Democrats decided they weren’t going to support anything if Greene County and VictoryLand weren’t able to compete.”
A “clean” paper lottery bill that did not allow expansion of electronic gaming, passed the Senate. But critics of the measure, sponsored by state Senator Greg Albritton, said it protected the Poarch Creek’s electronic gaming operations at their Montgomery, Wetumpka and Atmore casinos in Albritton’s district. Oliver said he didn’t like the bill but would have voted for it. “I think McClendon’s bill would have passed and it would have created more revenue. It’s the best bill,” Oliver said.
He said VictoryLand should be allowed to compete with the Poarch Band’s gaming operations. “We had established gambling that affected Tallapoosa County at VictoryLand that contributed $45 million to the state treasury and provided 3,000 jobs and 15 percent of those were in Tallapoosa County. Then it was shut down,” he said
The House amended Albritton’s bill to direct 25 percent of lottery proceeds to the Education Trust Fund. Still, the House vote was 16 short of the 63 needed for passage. State Rep. Steve Clouse blamed that on the Republican caucus’ opposition to the dog tracks having the same gaming machines as those at the Poarch Creek’s casinos.
Oliver commented, “Education needs to get money from the lottery to have the best chance of being approved by the public. People just don’t care about lottery money going to the General Fund and it was a hard sell. But where in education does it go?”
He said, “We did a poll during my campaign asking voters in my district if they were for a lottery and 80 percent said they were. My concern was what is fair for the people of Alabama. I’m not pro-gambling but the people want to have a chance to vote on it.” Looking ahead, Oliver said, “I think the lottery will come back. I really believe the more attention it gets, the more people will have a better understanding about it.”
