In a change designed to find enough votes to turn a proposed bill into law, Alabama will no longer include sports betting as part of the state’s gambling legislation that will be decided later this year.
Also dropped from the bill are full casino games that could have brought up to seven new casinos to Alabama.
The bill now goes forward with lottery games as its centerpiece. Also amended is the date when voters can approve the altered package from the general election in November to a special election Sept. 10.
In order to be placed on the ballot, three-fifths of the 35 members in the state senate must vote for the bill.
Betting on horse racing currently is allowed in the state in four counties, with an additional location proposed in Greene County through the new bill. A handful of bingo halls in the state also would be protected under the new bill.
The state would also be able to negotiate with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to open full-scale casinos on three separate tribal lands. Electronic bingo is currently allowed on those lands.
According to Forbes, 38 states, as well as Washington D.C., have approved some form of sports wagering, including 29 states that have approved online wagering. The U.S. Supreme Court approved sports wagering in May of 2018, with individual states required to vote it into law.
–Field Level Media