Alabama House sends lottery, casino bill to conference committee following amendments rejection

The Alabama House of Representatives rejected Senate amendments to lottery and gambling legislation on Thursday, underscoring a continued impasse between the two chambers regarding the inclusion of sports betting and the extent of casino expansion in the state.

Following the rejection, representatives opted to refer the bill to a conference committee, aiming to reconcile disparities and negotiate a compromise over the gambling proposal, The Associated Press reported.

This marks the first legislative action on the bill, which has faced stagnation since the Senate's modifications to a comprehensive plan initially passed by the House. The original proposal envisioned a state lottery, sports betting, and the licensing of up to 10 casinos featuring table games. Conversely, the Senate's version omitted sports betting and limited casino sites to tribal land.

Senator Greg Albritton, who handled the bill in the Senate, expressed waning optimism for reaching a compromise, citing hardline stances taken by some senators against sports betting and expanded casino operations.



“There is plenty of middle ground. There is plenty of opportunity. What we are battling is entrenchment,” Albritton was quoted as saying in the report.

Representative Chris Blackshear, the House sponsor, lamented the Senate's scaled-back version, estimating potential revenue losses in the hundreds of millions. Despite his hopefulness for a resolution, Blackshear acknowledged the significant disparities between the two chambers' proposals.

“I think we’ve got to identify what that middle ground is first because it’s such a distance between the two. They’re not even close bookends. So, we’ve got to first off establish what that middle ground looks like and then have those conversations,” Blackshear told AP.

Under the Senate plan, a state lottery would be permitted, alongside electronic wagering machines at dog tracks and other designated locations. Additionally, the proposal mandated gubernatorial negotiations for a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, potentially facilitating the establishment of full-fledged casinos at the tribe's three sites in Alabama.

Any gambling initiative necessitates approval from three-fifths of lawmakers and a majority of voters. Notably, Alabamians have not voted on gambling since the rejection of a proposed lottery in 1999.

House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter expressed optimism for eventual consensus among lawmakers, signaling ongoing efforts to find common ground.

“If one thing has been made clear throughout this process, it’s that the people of Alabama want and deserve an opportunity to vote on this issue,” Ledbetter said, as per the report.