Just hours after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) proclaimed her support for ending the state’s gambling ban, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said they are finalizing a proposal to legalize casinos and a Las Vegas-style lottery. Vegas.
So members of the state Legislature in Montgomery this week received a draft of the gaming expansion bill.
Lottery still depends on population referendum
The proposed bylaw includes allowing up to seven land-based commercial casinos with slot machines, table games and sports betting.
Therefore, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians would be permitted to incorporate the same games and wagering on its tribal properties in Atmore, Montgomery, and Wetumpka that currently offer bingo-based electronic gaming devices.
The measure would also allow the tribe, the only federally recognized Native American community in Alabama, to build a fourth casino in the northern part of the state to attract gamblers from Tennessee and Georgia.
These two states also do not have casinos.
Either way, the bill would establish a state lottery and form a nine-person Alabama Gaming Commission. The final say on the game rests with the electorate.
So the next gaming package would just trigger a statewide referendum asking residents to amend the Alabama Constitution to allow such games.
Game Pack Specifications
Alabama lawmakers crafting the gaming package include Reps. Andy Whitt (R-Madison), Chris Blackshear (R-Phenix City) and Sam Jones (D-Mobile).
State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) plans to defend the measure in the upper chamber and held a press conference recently. “We believe people deserve the right to vote on this issue,” Whitt said.
The congressman argued that the bill would achieve two things:
- Get rid of those who facilitate illegal gambling
- Provide the state with a new source of taxes
The bill would tax gross revenue earned by casinos at 24%, as well as gross revenue earned by sports betting at 17%.
State projections suggest Alabama could receive between $802 million and $1 billion annually from casino and lottery gaming.
