Multiple outlets have already confirmed that an Alabama sports betting bill was added to the 2023 legislative agenda. The news spurred optimism among gambling enthusiasts. The Heart of Dixie has commonly been among the states most interested in legal wagering yet has constantly failed to pass any initiatives through the House of Representatives and Senate.
And, well, the future of Alabama sports betting appears to be headed in this direction once again.
Barely one week after adding numerous sports betting bills to the agenda, the word is all legal gambling initiatives are at a standstill. What's more, one of the biggest advocates for Alabama sports betting doesn't seem to think these latest measures have a chance of passing.
State Senator Greg Albritton Does Not Have High Hopes for Alabama Sports Betting in 2023
Senator Greg Albritton, a Republican, is often painted as Alabama's best chance at legalizing sports gambling in the near future. He has proposed a handful of different initiatives over the years, with all of them aimed at bringing online and in-person wagering to The Yellowhammer State.
In theory, this should be a big deal. Conservative policymakers are usually among the strongest opponents of legal sports betting across the United States. To have a Republican be the driving force behind pro-gambling legislation is always quite the development. This is doubly true in states, such as Alabama itself, in which Republicans have majority rule.
However, Senator Albritton's attempt to legalize sports wagering have been repeatedly thwarted. And as of right now, he doesn't see that changing.
“We’re at a standoff like we were last year,” Senator Albritton recently said, per Fox 10 News in Mobile, Alabama. “You know, I brought the comprehensive bill and [state Representative] Chip Brown dropped the lottery in the House. And neither one of them passed. Everybody was waiting for somebody else to take the first step.”
This is a somewhat unusual situation. Across the rest of the country, lawmakers in the House of Representatives have typically proven more willing to pass sports betting legislature through to the Senate. The Senate, meanwhile, has usually been the tougher hurdle to clear. But Alabama sports betting is struggling to gain momentum at both levels. This suggests multiple issues are at play.
Why are the Alabama House and Senate So Reluctant to Legalize Sports Gambling?
Naturally, this House-and-Senate deadlock raises the question of: Why are policymakers so against sports betting in Alabama? Is it a religious or morality issue? Is it a logistical problem? Is it a matter of decentralized thinking? Or the offshoot of one prominent figure swaying the rest?
Truthfully, the problem with Alabama sports betting is a mixture of everything.
Morality and religion are definitely at play in some cases. A handful of House and Senate members have insisted gambling isn't currently legal for a reason. They consider it predatory and immoral and, above all, unconstitutional. There are also those who will cite logistical issues. Alabama doesn't currently have a state lottery and would need to set up one to oversee the rollout and compliance of legal sports betting operations. Certain House and Senate members aren't sure whether it makes financial sense to jump through all those hopes.
Decentralized thinking is definitely playing a role, as well. Alabama sports betting proposals seem to be suffering from "too many cooks in the kitchen." So many different people are bringing so many different ideas and policy structures. As Senator Albritton noted, five or more Alabama sports betting initiatives have been introduced in 2023 alone. The hope was all of them could be sandwiched into one bill, but conflicting ideologies among them have so far prevented that from happening.
Alabama could always pass multiple bills through the House and Senate, put them on the 2024 general election ballot and let voters decide. Historically, though, this has been an iffy proposition. Just look at California sports betting. The state approved two separate gambling bills for the 2022 general election. This prompted a war of advertising that left voters confused and fatigued from conflicting information. The end result? Both California sports betting bills failed. Passing a uniform gambling initiative has, by far, a much better chance of resonating with voters. That's the route states such as Alabama should go if they're serious about the legalization of sports betting.
Can Governor Kay Ivey Sway the Fate of Alabama Sports Betting?
That brings us to the last issue facing Alabama sports betting. Then again, it may not be an issue at all.
Any sports betting measure needs to make it past the governor's desk. That effectively means Alabama sports betting needs the support of Governor Kay Ivey (pictured above). This has been considered a challenged in previous years.
Elected into her office more than a half-decade ago, Ivey used to be a conservative Democrat. Since 2002, though, she has counted herself as a Republican. Over the past few years, her stance on legal sports betting has remained somewhat obfuscated, with many assuming she'd be against.
However, according to Fox News 10, at least one of the 2023 Alabama sports betting bills are expected to have her stamp of approval. There has yet to be clarification on which one she favors. Nor do we know what forms of betting she'd accept. Would Alabamians be allowed bet with the top online sportsbooks? Or would the state only allow in-person wagering?
The answers to those questions are definitely important. For the time being, though, it matters more that Governor Ivey might actually support any form of Alabama sports betting at all. Because if she ever comes out and voices that support, it would be a game-changer for the state's legal gambling outlook.
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