Alabama Senator to Introduce Bill to Let Voters Decide on Lottery, Sports Wagering
Alabama State Senator Merika Coleman announced plans to introduce a bill next week that would allow voters to decide whether gambling should be legalized in the Yellowhammer State.
Alabama Bill Would Establish Gambling Commission
The bill would authorize a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment allowing the governor to establish a gambling commission and enabling lawmakers to draft legislation to regulate lottery, gaming, and sports betting.
“Is this something that you want to do — yes or no?” said Coleman, D-Birmingham.
Alabama is one of only five states in the U.S. without a state lottery, alongside Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Sports betting is also legal in 39 states, as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
“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.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for the Alabama gubernatorial election this year, also said last week that voters should have a say in the state’s decision to legalize gambling.
Tuberville believes voters will be able to voice their opinions on gambling legislation in the near future.
Gaming Bills Have Been Unsuccessful
A gambling bill in 2024 passed the House with 70 votes but failed in the Senate by a single vote.
That bill had included provisions for a lottery, casinos, sports betting, a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and the establishment of a gambling commission.
While gambling was not initially expected to return to the legislative agenda this session since it’s an election year, Coleman felt residents should have the right to vote on the issue.
“Everywhere I go, people are asking, are we going to take this issue up?” Coleman said, per AL.com. “Since nobody else is talking about it, I said, ‘Why not me?’”
The Alabama Constitution prohibits a state lottery, meaning any legislative effort to establish one or to legalize sports betting requires a constitutional amendment.
The new amendment must then be approved by three-fifths of both legislative chambers before it can be placed on the ballot for voters. Three-fifths constitutes 21 of 35 senators and 63 of 105 representatives.
Gambling Hasn’t Been On Ballot In Nearly 30 Years
Alabama residents haven’t seen gambling on the ballot since 1999, when a lottery proposal was rejected 54% to 46%.
Coleman cited budget deficiencies as a key reason to revisit the gambling discussion, along with federal funding cuts from legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“We have some major deficits coming at us,” she said. “And we’re going to have to figure out where in the world this revenue will come from — ‘27 is going to be hard, but ‘28 is going to be doggone near impossible if we don’t have some type of new revenue.
“The online betting pot is huge, and we’re missing out on all of that revenue. “
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