Current:Home > InvestAlabama gambling bill faces uncertain outlook in second half of legislative session-LoTradeCoin
Alabama gambling bill faces uncertain outlook in second half of legislative session
View Date:2024-12-23 22:00:13
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Legislation to start a state lottery — and possibly allow casinos and other gambling devices — faces an uncertain outlook in the Alabama Statehouse because of divisions over sports betting and the number of casino sites.
Lawmakers, who are on spring break next week, are trying to find common ground between a sweeping House-passed plan that would include sports betting and multiple casinos with table games and a scaled-back version of the bill that was approved by the Alabama Senate.
Any gambling proposal would have to be approved by both three-fifths of lawmakers and a majority of voters. Alabamians have not voted on gambling since a proposed lottery was rejected in 1999.
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed said the House wanted to take some time to review the Senate changes and they will evaluate where they’re at when lawmakers return from break.
“As you all are aware, we minimized the casino opportunity, eliminated the sports betting, which were topics that were non-starters in the Senate body,” Reed said.
House members approved a proposed constitutional amendment to allow a state lottery, sports-betting at in-person sites and online platforms, and up to 10 casino sites with table games and slot machines. The Senate plan greatly reduced the number of potential casino sites and eliminated sports betting.
The Senate version would allow a state lottery, electronic wagering machines at dog tracks and several other locations and require the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. A compact could pave the way for the tribe to have full-fledged casinos with table games at its three sites in the state.
“The House sent us up a comprehensive package that covered a great deal. The Senate sent to them a much-reduced package and with very specific instructions on potential changes. That appears to have a chilling effect on advancement,” said Sen. Greg Albritton, who handled the legislation in the Senate.
Albritton said lawmakers still have time to get a bill approved but only if they are willing to compromise.
“We still have the time, and we have the need,” he said. “The flexibility may be the determining factor whether we accomplish something this year.”
Lawmakers return to Montgomery on April 2.
Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton estimated there’s a 60% chance that lawmakers get a bill approved before the session ends in May.
“You know how this process works. It could be the last day, the last minute that something comes out and it works,” Singleton said.
veryGood! (664)
Related
- California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
- Women are earning more money. But they're still picking up a heavier load at home
- First raise the debt limit. Then we can talk about spending, the White House insists
- Zac Efron Shares Rare Photo With Little Sister Olivia and Brother Henry During the Greatest Circus Trip
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Noah Cyrus Shares How Haters Criticizing Her Engagement Reminds Her of Being Suicidal at Age 11
- GOP governor says he's urged Fox News to break out of its 'echo chamber'
- The life and possible death of low interest rates
- Is the stock market open on Veterans Day? What to know ahead of the federal holiday
- Louisville appoints Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel as first Black woman to lead its police department
Ranking
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Warming Trends: British Morning Show Copies Fictional ‘Don’t Look Up’ Newscast, Pinterest Drops Climate Misinformation and Greta’s Latest Book Project
- In Philadelphia, Mass Transit Officials Hope Redesigning Bus Routes Will Boost Post-Pandemic Ridership
- White House to establish national monument honoring Emmett Till
- Jury awards Abu Ghraib detainees $42 million, holds contractor responsible
- Texas’ Wildfire Risks, Amplified by Climate Change, Are Second Only to California’s
- Activists Deplore the Human Toll and Environmental Devastation from Russia’s Unprovoked War of Aggression in Ukraine
- Travis Scott Will Not Face Criminal Charges Over Astroworld Tragedy
Recommendation
-
Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
-
Phoenix residents ration air conditioning, fearing future electric bills, as record-breaking heat turns homes into air fryers
-
UN Report Says Humanity Has Altered 70 Percent of the Earth’s Land, Putting the Planet on a ‘Crisis Footing’
-
Shawn Johnson East Shares the Kitchen Hacks That Make Her Life Easier as a Busy Mom
-
Kennesaw State football coach Brian Bohannon steps down after 10 seasons amid first year in FBS
-
Laredo Confronts Drought and Water Shortage Without a Wealth of Options
-
Pete Davidson’s New Purchase Proves He’s Already Thinking About Future Kids
-
Now on Hold, Georgia’s Progressive Program for Rooftop Solar Comes With a Catch