Deputy Editor
Alabama residents may once again have the chance to vote on expanded gambling, which would likely put Class III casino gaming in the state for the first time.
State Sen. Merika Coleman said she wants to put forth a bill that would put a gambling referendum in front of voters. It would give them the chance to vote yes or no on expanded gambling in Alabama.
Alabama Voters Previously Rejected Gambling Expansion
The last time Alabama residents had such a referendum, they rejected it, 54% to 46%.
However, that was back in 1999. Legal gambling has proliferated to a staggering degree since then, and Alabamians are spending their gambling dollars across state borders, a notable concern for lawmakers seeking to balance upcoming budgets.
Returning some of the gambling tax money to the state has been a priority for some legislators.
Furthermore, Gov. Kay Ivey has long supported gambling expansion. So, there would be little fear of a gubernatorial veto in the event that gambling legislation eventually passed in Alabama.
Ivey commissioned a study in 2020 that claimed lottery, sports betting, and casinos could raise $700 million for the state. Other estimates were as high as $1.2 billion.
Alabama has some limited legal gambling in the form of tribal Class II properties run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. They have machines that look like slots, but are actually bingo-based to run in accordance with state law. Neighboring Mississippi offers fairly robust gambling options, though it does lack online sports betting. Florida has online sports betting through the Seminole Tribe, but most of its casinos and racinos are far from the Alabama border.
Alabama’s Tribal-Commercial Rift a Familiar Narrative in Gambling Legislation
Alabama came close to passing expanded gambling in 2024, but a familiar rift ultimately sank the efforts. The state’s tribal interests clashed with those of established commercial racetracks.
The House bill allowed for commercial casinos, legal sports betting, and the building of a fourth tribal property.
On the other hand, the Senate wanted none of that, attempting to appease the tracks with historical horse racing (HHR) machines and off-track betting (OTB). The Senate and House agreed only to add a lottery and to upgrade the existing tribal properties to Class III casinos (which allow slots and table games).
After much back and forth, including an awkward compromise that included commercial slots but not table games, the bill fell one vote shy of garnering a needed super-majority.
Coleman hopes that by starting with the big-picture question, the legislature can figure out whether this is even a battle worth fighting.
“The devil is in the details, and we’ve gotten caught up by them,” Coleman told AL.com.
“This bill simply gives us the ability to come back and actually establish gaming in the state of Alabama. It’s not just the lottery, it’s gaming, it’s sports betting, it’s all of the stuff that folks are talking about.”
If voters affirm a desire for gambling, that would spur the legislature to find solutions that fit. Expanded casino gaming would once again become a priority in Alabama policy debate.
Image credit: DXR/Wikimedia Commons (license)
