Bill would legalize sports betting as part of tribal gaming package. Latest news: Pennsylvania: H 519 H 271.Passed Oct. Bills would legalize sports betting; first is standalone bill; second is part of omnibus gambling expansion package. Latest news: South Carolina: H 3102: Bill would legalize sports betting and gambling. Apr 28, 2017 The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill allowing for paid-entry fantasy sports contests in the state and it will now go to the Senate for the next round of voting. It passed by way of a 43-38 vote after the state decided that fantasy sports do not fall under Alabama’s anti-gambling laws.

The Alabama House legislature was introduced to three sportsbetting bills, and the Senate has one of its own.

Alabama is home to two college football powerhouses, Alabama and Auburn, that many state residents would bet on if sports wagering were legal. Fans cheered for the Crimson Tide of Alabama at a.

John Rogers Jr, a Democratic House Representative has sponsored three separate House Bills related to sports wagering. House Bills 315, 358, and 412 were all introduced in early April of 2019 to Alabama’s regular session. Each House Bill is currently in Committee and has not been revised from their original text yet.

HB 315 relates to domestic wagering legalization and would allow certain professional and collegiate events to be wagered on. This bill, if passed, would create the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission and provide the newly established Commission with regulatory authority. This Commission would also be responsible for licensing, authorizing fees, establishing rules, protocols, and prohibitions, and levy a tax on adjusted gross sports wagering receipts at 10%.

This bill has the most detail and actionable plan, but therehas been little movement after its first reading.

HB 358 and HB 412 are both House Bills which would add tothe Code of Alabama 1975, Section 13A-12-25.1. This addition would authorize adoptinglocal legislation to allow wagering on various professional, collegiate, andamateur contests. Of course, these bills wouldbecome law only after receiving passage from both Statehouses and approval fromthe Governor.

All of Rep. Rogers HouseBills were read and referred to the House of Representatives committeeon Economic Development and Tourism.

Senate Bill 130 was introduced by Republican Senator Jim McClendon on March 19^th, 2019. However, this bill relates to amending the state Constitution. While most of the language in SB 130 relates to amending Section 65 of Alabama’s Constitution to establish a state lottery, there is some mention of sports wagering and tax levies imposed by the Lottery.

Therefore, SB 130 may signal the state’s interest in killingtwo birds with one stone, establishing a lottery and allowing the state’s newlottery to operate domestic wagering, or at least the potential for the lotteryto do so.

SB 130 would establish a Lottery Trust Fund and work withthe state to allocate lottery proceeds under what would be called the AlabamaLottery Corporation. Of course, the bill also would create the Alabama LotteryCommission to regulate the Alabama Lottery Corporation. The bill would alsoallow video lottery terminals.

The bill was read by the Senate and referred to the SenateCommittee on Tourism on the date of its introduction. A Senate Public Hearing wasscheduled on April 4^th, 2019, at 8:30 am. There has been no furtheraction taken for this bill as of the end of May.

When it comes to states synonymous with the South and its traditions, there may be no greater representative than Alabama. Its contributions and appearances in American history are legion, both good and bad.

However, there may be no state more confused about its identity with respect to gambling than Alabama. It has forged its own unique place as perhaps the most on-again, off-again state in the union.

Online gambling

Alabama’s official stance on online gambling is similar to that of many states. There is no law definitively for or against online gambling in the Heart of Dixie. However, the only brand of gambling that is securely legal in Alabama is pari-mutuel facilities.

Furthermore, there is no state lottery in Alabama. This negates a common avenue for proponents of gambling to introduce slot machine-type gambling to regions of the country. So, the current climate for typical online gambling is fairly negative, even though its status under the law is uncertain. AL sports betting is not yet legal.

However, Alabama is moving forward with the Fantasy Sports Bill. It recently cleared the state house and could become law in the near future. The bill, dubbed HB354, now moves to the Alabama State Senate. In theory, it could be on the governor’s desk within a few weeks. There are some rumbles of constitutional difficulty with the bill though, because of Alabama’s express prohibition of gambling in its chief legislative document.

Interestingly though, supporters of the bill have managed to turn the discourse about DFS into one where daily fantasy sports is primarily a skill game. Thus it cannot be considered gambling under state law. This structuring of the argument could potentially open the door for other expansions in the state for skill-heavy games, such as poker. For right now, the best thing to do is wait and see. But it does seem that things might be shifting down on the Delta.

Alabama Sports Gambling Bill In Kentucky

Likely online gambling operators

Social casino options

The social casino options in Alabama are typical of most states. Slotomania, Double Down Casino, Big Fish, ZyngaPoker, and Zynga Slots are all available.

However, Alabama’s laws are uniquely harsh when it comes to enforcement. Even social gambling is barred inside the state, to the point that players in home games have found themselves on the receiving end of the criminal justice system. Players should exercise great caution in playing any type of casino game in Alabama. This includes the free social ones on Facebook or mobile devices.

The option about which to be especially cautious is MyVegas. This is MGM’s free slots app that allows players to build up loyalty points in a banked account. The danger lies in the fact that these loyalty points can be exchanged for real-world comps at participating MGM properties and partners, including some properties in nearby Mississippi. It would not be a stretch for Alabama to apply its stringent anti-gambling laws to the receipt of these prizes.

State casino operator history

Pari-Mutuel wagering

Alabama has one of the more hit-and-miss gambling histories in the US. The state legalized pari-mutuel wagering on horse and dog races in 1971. Its first track opened in 1973, but the tracks have been malingering along by offering less-prestigious greyhound racing for several years.

Bingo

Its first bingo parlor opened in 1980 when a single county legalized it (Jefferson, through constitutional amendment). However, the state has had to pass 18 more amendments to bring bingo to each new county that desires the game.

Most notably, the game of electronic bingo has gone back and forth in legality several times since 2003. Voters in Macon County approved a constitutional amendment to allow the machines at the Victoryland racetrack. This began a comical cycle of the facility placing machines at the location and the government confiscating the machines and associated cash, along with closing down the entire facility, only to have the racetrack reopen again with new machines. This cycle has occurred at least twice, and many small debates have raged between these blow-ups. As of September 2016, Alabamans can once again play electronic bingo at Victoryland. No word on when the next raid and shutdown will occur.

Lottery

The state does not offer a lottery option to its residents, even though lottery is often the exception for many states (like Texas) that are traditionally opposed to gambling. Various important citizens in the state have been campaigning for a lottery since 1993. In fact, it was a major plank for Don Siegelman when he successfully ran for governor in 1998. Even so, he still couldn’t get the constitution amended to allow lottery. There was hope for some movement in 2020, but the regular legislative session adjourned without a hearing on any lottery proposals.

Casinos

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 allowed federally recognized tribes to operate gaming facilities on tribal lands, and in Alabama, the only tribe to do so is the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The tribe operates three Class II facilities (meaning no table games) in the eastern part of the state. They generate tax revenue for Alabama’s government. Naturally, the state sued the tribe in 2013 to close the three casinos. It took two years of litigation to finally have the suit thrown out.

The most silver of linings for Alabama residents is the state’s proximity to Mississippi. There are two different areas of note for casino gambling in Mississippi – Biloxi/Gulfport and Tunica. Over 30 casinos are spread across Alabama’s neighbor to the west, and the Biloxi locations are especially accessible to residents in the southern part of Alabama. Mobile is a short hour’s drive away.

Florida Sports Gambling Bill

Still, much like flowers in the desert, four facilities have managed to find a way to live in the Heart of Dixie. They are listed below.

Land-based casinos

State Legal Environment