The approval comes quickly after a House committee approved the legislation
The Alabama House passed legislation to permit online casino gambling for the first time ever on Thursday, sending a sweeping gaming package including sports betting and a state lottery to the Alabama Senate.
The two bills, HB151 and HB152, would also establish the first gambling commission in Alabama and raise the penalties for illegal gaming. It’s the first time a statewide gambling proposal has ever made it out of the House, where numerous gambling legislation bills have died in the past. However, it was approved easily on Thursday with little resistance from lawmakers.
If passed by the Senate, a constitutional amendment vote will be put on the November ballot for citizens to approve. Opponents of the bill admit, and recent polling shows, that the referendum is likely to pass overwhelmingly.
The bill seems to have tremendous public backing and gained bipartisan support in the legislature. It’s the only gambling bill in Alabama to get a public endorsement from the governor, Senate president and the Speaker of the House.
If the Senate and voters approve, the new law would bring a statewide lottery similar to those in neighboring states like Tennessee, Florida and Georgia and permit sports betting in person at casinos and online through providers like FanDuel and DraftKings. Up to 10 casino licenses would also be issued for specific counties in the state.
Revenue gained from taxes on gaming and the lottery could surpass $1 billion yearly, with numerous high-priority issues set to receive funding, including the expansion of rural healthcare facilities and mental healthcare options. Several lawmakers have also said healthcare expansion similar to Medicaid expansion attempted by other red states is also in the works.
