Alabama state Senator Del Marsh has announced that before he asks for a vote on his gaming bill in the Senate, he’ll take two weeks to finetune the bill, which would allow a state lottery and five new casinos.
Marsh introduced the bill February 11 and following meetings with colleagues, he said decided to make some changes to both the amendment and the enabling legislation prior to a vote. “This is an issue that is going to be a significant change for the state. And so it does not need to be rushed. I’m positive about the whole process. Everybody has been great participating in this process. I’m as confident as I’ve been that we’ll get a piece of legislation out to the people to make a decision,” Marsh said.
The enabling legislation would include rules and regulations about the lottery and casinos, tax rates and how the gaming tax revenue would be used. Three-fifths of senators and representatives would have to approve the measure before the amendment to the state constitution would be placed on the ballot.
“This is about getting something to the people of Alabama that addresses gaming once and for all and how those revenues are going to be spent to the best of ability of the state to better the lives of the people of Alabama. There is an overwhelming appetite for the people of Alabama to address this issue and to vote on it,” Marsh said.
Altogether, the state could have a total of eight casinos, or 10 if two more are added to the plan, which is a move Marsh is considering. Currently the bill calls for casinos at the state’s four greyhound tracks in Birmingham, Mobile, Macon County and Greene County; a fifth venue, operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, would be located in Jackson County or DeKalb County in northeast Alabama.
He said he’d possibly like to locate another casino in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the Montgomery area across southeast Alabama, and another in either the 4th or 5th district, depending on where the Poarch Creeks’ casino ends up. Those two casino licenses would be open to competitive proposals and selected by a gaming commission that would be established by Marsh’s legislation.
His bill also calls for Governor Kay Ivey to negotiate a gaming compact with the Poarch Creeks that would allow the tribe to offer Class III casino games at their electronic bingo resorts in Atmore, Wetumpka and Montgomery.
The Legislative Services Agency estimates the lottery, casino gambling and sports betting would generate $450 million to $670 million annually. Lottery revenue would fund college scholarships in high-demand career fields. Money from casino licensing fees and a 20 percent tax on casino revenue would go toward expanding broadband internet access, the state General Fund, rural health care and mental health.
However, state Senator Sam Givhan, among others, said revenue projections could be overstated. He also said he thought Marsh’s bill was too broad by including both lottery and casino gambling. “I just don’t think it is a good deal for Alabama. I’ve got some amendments I’ll bring to try to make the bill better. I think it is a bad bill for Alabama. I think Marsh’s heart is in the right place, and he has got a passion about the broadband that would be funded with this and is trying to bring a lot of different interests to the table.”
