Alabama Sports Betting Bill Getting Closer

One of the five states without a lottery in the United States is Alabama, but a new gambling measure would allow sports betting, casino gaming, and lotteries there. If HB 152 is approved by the legislature, it will be put to a vote in November 2024. The tax rate on sports betting would be 17% of adjusted gross revenue, while the tax rate on other forms of gambling would be 24%. Internet sports betting would be permitted by law, but not online casinos. The measure would make it permissible to wager on Olympic events, video game events, professional and collegiate sports, and esports. It would pave the way for a plethora of betting markets, such as exchange, in-game, and parlay wagering.

Up to ten retail casinos would be allowed under the bill, which has been believed to be in the works for weeks. These would include three Poarch Band of Creek Indians-owned facilities that are now open and one additional proposed Poarch Creek facility. The city of Birmingham and the counties of Greene, Houston, Lowndes, Macon, and Mobile are the six places listed in the bill that would be qualified to submit applications for casino licenses.

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Currently, three of the four border states with Alabama allow some form of legal gambling. While Mississippi features physical casinos and sportsbooks, Florida features online sports betting and tribal casinos and Tennessee provides digital sports betting. Furthermore, it seems like Mississippi lawmakers are moving toward allowing internet sports betting.

Legislators in Georgia are currently considering legalizing sports betting online. The bill’s Senate sponsor originally intended to classify sports betting as a lottery, exempting it from voter approval requirements, but before it was sent to the House, the bill was changed to include this requirement.

Alabama has contemplated and investigated gaming expansion for many years. The most recent item to be addressed in Montgomery before to this session was a 2022 proposal that would have authorized digital sports betting connected to Poarch Creek casinos and a state lottery, but the law never made it past the first reading. Since then, it appears that lawmakers in Alabama have come to the conclusion that any expansion of gambling must be approved by a constitutional amendment. They are also open to the concept of allowing online sports betting, a lottery, and more physical casinos. The proposed measure would license casinos and impose a $5 million minimum fee for doing so. A $35 million initial investment is also needed.

The Alabama Gaming Commission and a gaming enforcement branch would be established by the law. The number of digital sports betting platforms that could be licensed is unlimited in the language of the legislation since MPs appear to prefer to defer that decision to the regulator. The measure does not allocate a precise amount of money to any of these initiatives, but it does require the construction of addiction treatment centers, a self-exclusion list, and problem gaming regulations.

After being introduced, the bill was given a first reading and subsequently referred to the House Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. Bills that are not approved by the end of Alabama’s legislature session on May 20 will not be carried over to 2025.

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