Another Alabama Sports Betting Bill Is Coming

Many have wondered whether the push to legalize Alabama sports betting would fall to the back burner in 2026 following a slew of repeatedly failed attempts to rewrite gaming laws in The Crimson State. Well, these people now have their answer.

Attempts to legalize sports betting in Alabama will continue during the next round of legislative sessions.

State Senator Arthur Orr and Representative Andy Whitt have confirmed as much. According to WAFF 48’s Matthew King, both have “said it would be possible for another gaming bill to be introduced in the upcoming legislative session in 2026.”

If the past is any indication, we would go as far as calling the introduction of another Alabama sports betting bill likely. Despite little progress on the legalization front over the years, the issue continues to foment plenty of official discussion each time the state legislature convenes. At times, it has even looked like the House and Senate are on the verge of finding common ground in their attempts to hash out gambling policy.

No initiative, however, has ever gotten over the hump. The question entering 2026 is whether it’s possible for that to change.

What Happened During the Most Recent Attempt to Legalize Alabama Sports Betting?

Any new push to approve Alabama sports betting has to start with the most recent failure. Last year, a gaming bill was on the table. However, it ended up being stripped down at the last minute. Not only did it weed out certain elements of sports betting, but it entirely removed any chance of Alabama sports betting or casino legalization from the table.

Upon first consideration, this feels like a death knell for any 2026 measure. At the same time, some of the primary issues policymakers disagree over feel solvable. More than anything, it seems that concerns boil down to how revenue is spent, and how the industry will be regulated. We are not just referencing last year, either. As Alander Rocha writes for the Alabama Reflector, the uncertainty surrounding sports betting in The Crimson State has struck a similar tone for years:

“The Alabama House in 2024 approved a constitutional amendment and legislation to legalize a state lottery and gambling. The measure stalled in the Senate. In the Senate, 20 senators voted for the constitutional amendment, one vote short of the three-fifths majority required for constitutional amendments. Albritton, who carried the package in the Senate, did not vote for it, citing concerns he was unable to address about the bills’ intent to regulate, not condone, gambling. Sen. Jack Williams, R-Wilmer, who voted in favor of gambling legislation in 2021 but voted against the 2024 measures said in a phone interview that he still has not seen any gambling legislation and does not know how he’ll vote on it. He declined to answer whether he would support legislation similar to the 2024 bills.’”

All in all, it seems as if Alabama sports betting measures would benefit from more alignment among both political parties. Neither side seems outright against it, which is of course a start. But it remains to be seen what, exactly, could get everyone on the same page to bring it across the finish line.

Any Sports Betting Bill will Require a Constitutional Amendment

Some have taken to speculating that sports betting in Alabama could be legalized without a constitutional amendment, and the voter input that’s required to come with it. This isn’t surprising.

This notion is brought up in virtually every market that has failed to green light gambling despite multiple attempts at doing so. Every so often, experts wonder whether we could see a replication of how sports betting in Wisconsin, as one example, was legalized.

Still, officials in Alabama seem adamant that they will seek a constitutional amendment and voter approval. And that has everything to do with the growing popularity of online sports betting in the United States.

Offering full-fledged mobile wagering will require voter approval. Alabama officials would have to embrace the idea of an in-person-only model if they want to circumvent that step. But given how much sports betting business the state believes it is losing to Tennessee, we would be surprised if they go this route. Consider this excerpt from the Alabama Reflector;

“‘It’s very disappointing to me at the amount of traffic that’s going over Alabama’s lines and border to Tennessee, and we’re educating Tennessee’s children as a response to that,” Representative Whitt said. Whitt said Alabama loses an estimated $300-400 million a year to the lottery alone, with an additional estimated $50-75 million in sports betting. Officials in Tennessee said they noticed a trend of bettors traveling to the state and placing wagers. ‘There is traffic around the borders, particularly along states that don’t have some sort of sports wagering,’ said David Smith from the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council.”
This is close to ironclad proof that Alabama won’t seek a different way of integrating sports betting.

An Alabama State Lottery May Need to Come Before Sports Betting

The push for an Alabama State Lottery is the elephant in the room of all this talk. Many believe it should be legalized in tandem with sports betting. Others, however, think the state lottery will be a good starting point to help better understand how to regulate gambling in the market.

So far, enough sports betting supporters have been willing to insist both be greenlit at the same time that neither has made it through the necessary legalization steps. However, there did appear to be a slight shift last year in the number of lawmakers willing to pass the lottery with the inclusion of sports betting.

If this number continues to climb, the absence of sports betting in Alabama will persist. Heck, it might even endure even if the lottery and sports betting continue to be viewed as one in the same. Regardless of how this all plays out, we at least seem to know it is going to play out. Because lawmakers do not seem intent on letting sports betting or the creation of a state lottery fall to the wayside when they meet next year.

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