As the Alabama Legislature gavelled in the 2026 session Tuesday, it appears gambling issues will not be on the docket for the first time in several years.
Legislative leadership in Alabama said heading into the session that gambling legislation seemingly lacked support to be brought up in 2026. That comes after last year when key gambling proponent Senator Greg Albritton said the lack of gambling success in 2025 likely set the issue back 20 years.
“We won’t know until our first caucus, which will be 13 January, but we’ll start talking about it, and probably by the end of January we’ll kind of see what is the feel of everyone on that particular subject,” Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger said, per AL.com. “But as of right now, if I had to give you my gut feeling, I would say it would not be coming up this year.”
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, who led a gambling package in 2024, said any 2025 proposal would need to start in the Senate. Ledbetter echoed that statement this year.
“We certainly don’t have anything. It’d have to come out of the Senate, first of all,” he said. “And I’ve talked with [Gudger] a number of times and it’s never been mentioned.”
Alabama’s inaction on gambling issues
Alabama is one of five states without a lottery. Any legislation looking to authorise a lottery or expand gambling requires a constitutional amendment. An amendment requires approval by two-thirds of both chambers, which would send it to a statewide ballot.
There has been momentum in the past. Ledbetter’s push in 2024 included a lottery, casinos and sports betting. It also included a gambling compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The package passed the House but fell one vote short in the Senate.
Albritton, who has sponsored previous gambling legislation, did not propose a bill last year because he did not feel he had the votes. This year, he also will not sponsor a proposal.
Among the main issues for lawmakers is where the state would spend the tax dollars from gambling, according to multiple industry sources.
The last statewide vote on a lottery was in 1999. The public rejected the measure 54% to 46%.
Following the multi-year stalemate in the legislature, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians are beginning to focus on gambling issues full time to craft better messaging for legislators. In 2024, the tribe acquired the Birmingham Race Course and secured the lobbying firm Fine Geddie.
Governor supports gambling expansion
Governor Kay Ivey has been a staunch advocate for letting Alabamians vote on gambling issues. Ivey has supported multiple proposals over the past several years and held press conferences following legislative failures.
“I was disappointed that they did not get the gambling bill passed,” Ivey said in 2022. “Not that I am so much for gambling, but I do think the people of Alabama ought to have the right to make that decision. I wish that had passed the legislature so that people could vote it up or down in November.”
In 2020, Ivey set up a select committee on gaming. A committee report estimates a comprehensive package could generate up to $800 million annually.
Noting the multiple failures over the years, Albritton said the issue needs support from the governor to pass.
Gubernatorial candidates push gaming
With a gubernatorial election this November guaranteeing a new governor in 2027, candidates are speaking out on gambling. Like Ivey, the potential state executives are weighing in on gambling.
Republican US Senator Tommy Tuberville said the people of Alabama should be able to vote on the issue.
“I hear people say they want a lottery, they want both a lottery and gambling, they want a sportsbook, they want horse racing, dog racing, all this,” Tuberville told The Jeff Poor Show.
“Again, it all goes back to one thing: do your study, do your due diligence, sell the good on both sides to the people in Alabama. I think that’s what a governor should do: ‘Hey, this is what’s going to be good about it. This is what’s going to be bad about it.’ And then let people vote on it, give them an opportunity.”
Former Democratic US Senator Doug Jones said in a social media video he would push for a state lottery.
“We’re missing out on millions, hundreds of millions of dollars. We gotta change that,” Jones said. “We need to vote on a lottery this year.”
Democratic State Rep Phillip Ensler announced his lieutenant governor candidacy last month. Ensler said he would also push gambling legislation in the executive office to help fund state programmes in need.
“I hear from people all over the state – Democrat, Republican, white, black, poor, more affluent – that say it’s crazy that we don’t have a state lottery,” Ensler told Alabama Political Reporter. “People cross over state lines to buy lotto tickets and we’re missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used for education or could be used for healthcare.”
Pat Evans
Pat covers the legislation and regulation of online gambling in North and South America, having covered the US sports betting industry extensively since 2019.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/legislative-setback-alabama-gambling-sports-betting/
