Alabama House passes gaming legislation agreement

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The Alabama House of Representatives passed an amended gaming legislation bill after coming to an agreement Tuesday at the committee’s first public meeting.

A conference committee in the Alabama Legislature met Tuesday to discuss the future of gaming, and a state lottery, in Alabama. Up to this point, the committee had been meeting privately, behind closed doors.

The committee, made up of three senators and three representatives, met publicly for the first time Tuesday afternoon. To date, the two legislative chambers have disagreed over allowing sports betting and casinos, but now have an agreement in place.

The committee recommend a lottery with 100% of the money going toward education, as well as some slot machines at approved locations to include the racetracks in Greene, Jefferson, and Macon counties as well as bingo halls in Greene, Houston, and Lowndes counties.

The committee said no to the idea of table games and sports betting.

After passing the House, the bill went back to the Senate where it stalled. If senators ultimately approve it, the legislation would go to Alabama voters to make the ultimate decision on whether gaming would become law. A special election would be needed, which would happen Aug. 20, 2024.

This is the closest Alabama has come to legalizing a state lottery since voters turned down an education lottery in the late 1990s following a push by then-Gov. Don Siegelman.

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