Lawmakers can’t find a way to add new casinos and a lottery this year
The 2024 Alabama legislative session ended on Thursday before lawmakers could pass two contentious bills to legalize gambling in the state. Gov. Kay Ivey also announced that she won’t call a special session to continue debating the gambling bills.
House members voted on April 30 to pass the Conference Committee’s report on the two proposals. HB151 was approved by a 72-29 vote, and HB152 passed by a 70-29 vote.
However, the bills sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Baldwin County) never made it to the Senate. Albritton said he would have voted against the version approved by the Conference Committee after it passed the House, leaving the bills one vote short of the 21 needed for approval.
“I want to publicly thank this body … It’s amazing when you work together as a team when things don’t have Rs or Ds by their names,” expressed Rep. Russell Blackshear after the House approved the bills he created.
The proposals would have permitted Alabama residents to participate in a state lottery and multi-state lotteries, such as Powerball and Mega Millions. Bingo, raffles, and electronic games of chance would have also been approved at seven locations throughout the state. However, the new legislation would still prohibit table games with dealers using cards and dice.
HB152 would have established the Alabama Gaming Commission to regulate all forms of legal gambling and combat illicit gaming activity. It also called for Gov. Ivey to negotiate a gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Alabama residents haven’t seen gambling legislation on the ballot since 1999, when voters rejected a state lottery bill proposed by former Gov. Don Siegelman.
