Alabama State Senator David Sessions has expressed doubt on the likelihood of Alabama legalizing any form of gambling in 2025’s legislative session.
Speaking to Jeff Poor on Talk 106.5, Sessions said, “I don’t know how successful it will be.” He added: “I have talked several times on the gaming. It’s not a good way to fund government, and the economy turns bad again, and it will because those things cycle — it’s not a necessity, and if people are smart, they won’t be spending their power bill money on lottery tickets and gambling.”
Should gambling legalization move forward in Alabama, it would require an amendment to the constitution. As such, Alabamans must head to the ballot box to approve any measure. The Senator commented, “I don’t mind letting the people vote. But, it’s our job as the senators and representatives if we send something to people to vote on; it needs to be something that’s good for the state of Alabama and not something that’s just good for the gambling interest for the sake of having money in the government, to fund government.”
The people want the vote, says Gudger
Just a fortnight ago, the incoming leader of the Alabama Senate, Sen. Garlan Gudger, told local radio station Talk 99.5’s “Dixon & Vining” morning show, “The question on the entities of wanting to push the gambling/lottery vote, I think it’s overwhelming that the public wants to be able to vote on the lottery.”
He added, “Whether they want to vote for it or against it, you can tell that over 75% of the people in the polling that we’ve done shows that they want to be able to vote on it.”
Alabama is one of just five states with no lottery
Alabama remains one of the few jurisdictions in the United States without legalized gambling. However, Alabama made positive strides in 2024, with HB 151 and HB 152 passing through the House.
HB 151 was a constitutional amendment, and HB 152 would have created a gaming commission to permit the various proposed gaming activities.
The five types of gambling put forward were:
- An official state lottery, administered by a public corporation established by general law, using only tickets made of cardboard, paper, plastic, or some functionally similar material unless otherwise required to participate in a multi-jurisdiction lottery.
- Casino-style games played only in person on the premises of a licensed gaming establishment.
- Sports wagering conducted only on events that have not yet occurred or are already underway.
- Traditional raffles only if registered with the commission.
- Traditional bingo, using only cardboard, paper, plastic, or some functionally similar material.
Subsequently, the House rejected proposed Senate changes that would have removed both iGaming and sports betting. Instead, a conference committee was appointed to the bills. Given that HB 151 sought to amend the constitution, Alabamans must head to the ballot box to see any gaming legislation come into force.
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