In Alabama, one day after wide-ranging legislative amendments were defeated in a surprise Senate vote, a new lottery bill is in play.
The legislation, introduced by Senator Jim McClendon (pictured), could be considered in a Senate committee as early as next week, and would only permit the operation of a state-wide lottery, as opposed to the lottery and casino proposals of previous bills.
This new focus, McClendon believes, will give it a far greater chance of moving through legislature.
“I haven’t had anybody in my district come up to me and say, ‘I wish we had a roulette wheel or a craps table.’ They don’t say that. They come to me and say ‘I’d like to buy a lottery ticket without leaving the state.’ They don’t mention table games and casinos,” he said.
Meanwhile in Wyoming, the House of Representatives reversed a decision against online sports betting less than 24 hours after its initial ruling.
On Wednesday 10 March, lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill 133 by 32-28, the same margin by which they had voted against it the day prior.
The Tuesday ruling was on the third reading – normally seen as a final verdict – but legislature states that any persons that voted with the majority on any given issue can force reconsideration, which is what happened.
Bill 133 seeks to legalize online sports betting and fantasy sports contests. It is estimated that the total accessible market value of a fully-regulated Wyoming market could be as large as $449m.
