Alabama Sports Betting Bill Passes, Awaits Senate Debate

• A new Alabama sports betting and gambling bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Tourism Committee.
• The bill now moves to the full Alabama Senate for debate.
• The bill includes legal sports betting and would bring a market to the Yellowhammer State.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Legal sports betting in Alabama may come if a new bill manages to pass the Alabama State Senate.

The bill was unanimously voted by the Senate Tourism Committee and has moved to the Alabama Senate for debate.

The gambling bill would launch casino gambling as well as sports betting in Alabama. The bill is still in its earliest stages.

Next Steps

Senator Del Marsh filed the SB 214 initially. The context of the new bill would bring mobile betting, casino gambling, retail sportsbooks, and allow gambling operations in multiple counties. In addition, an education lottery with the focus on generating revenue for scholarships is also included.

The proposed bill will see the state collect 20% of revenue as state tax and have the revenue divided into multiple uses.

Of the state revenue collected from legal gambling and legal sports betting, 65% would be allocated to IT infrastructure, 25% for rural health care services, and 10% for mental health services.

The State Senate will review the bill at a later legislative session. Should the bill pass, then an identical bill or the same bill would need to pass the House of Representatives.

Possible Casino Locations

The proposed bill also breaks down which markets would host casinos. Birmingham Race Course, VictoryLand in Macon County, GreenTrack in Greene County, and Mobile Greyhound Park were all listed in the bill.

Birmingham, being the biggest city in Alabama, is an obvious choice for hosting a casino operation.

The bill allows for a total of only five casino locations with mobile sports betting options as well. These are not definite, as the bill could be altered during the debates while creating the state’s regulations.

Alabama has historically failed to pass any legislation to launch sports betting or local gambling of any kind. The Senate Tourism Committee unanimously voting on the bill is a good sign, however.

News tags: Alabama | Birmingham | Del Marsh | Gambling | Kay Ivey | Montgomery | Senate Tourism Committee | sports betting