When the week started in the Alabama Senate, proponents of the comprehensive gambling legislation that sailed through the House were hopeful that a week’s delay would allow the various factions and parties to come together, iron out differences and find a pathway forward.

The week ended Thursday with seemingly more disarray, as lawmakers scrambled to rewrite the legislation in a way that attracted Republican votes to a new bill that didn’t include language about healthcare expansion, all while talk of two additional gambling bills – one lottery-only and another lottery-Poarch Creek compact bill – made rounds.

Despite it all, the core group of senators and interested parties found optimism that they could work a deal for passage, needing only three votes to get there and tantalizingly close to working deals that would secure those votes and possibly a couple of extra.