Alabama gambling expansion bill doesn’t have enough support in Senate

Alabama gambling expansion bill doesn’t have enough support in Senate

Article brief provided by SportsHandle
  • Jill R. Dorson, SportsHandle
February 27, 2024 7:49 PM
  • Jill R. Dorson, SportsHandle

The Alabama gambling expansion bill that easily and quickly cleared the House last week doesn’t have enough Senate support to move in that chamber, despite proponents Rep. Chris Blackshear’s and Sen. Greg Albritton’s attempts to recruit backers.

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The bill, HB 152, has been assigned to the Senate Tourism Committee after passing the House, 67-31, on Feb. 15. It does not yet have a hearing date. The bill would legalize retail sportsbooks and mobile betting apps, as well as in-person, commercial casino gambling and a state lottery.

In total, the bill would allow for seven new casinos to be built, including six owned and operated by commercial companies and one owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which already has three brick-and-mortar casinos in Alabama. Sports betting sites would have to be tethered to casinos.