Written by :
Published on :
Alabama residents will continue to rely on old standbys like BetUS to place all those Tide and Tigers wagers.
This week lawmakers quashed any efforts to push through legislation approved in the state House that would have allowed for sports betting and casino gaming to be state regulated. Those in Alabama can still access internationally licensed mobile sportsbooks and casino games. Local bookies continue to thrive as well courtesy of PPH software providers.
An Alabama Senate committee approved a scaled-back version of the House approved gambling legislation on Tuesday, now only authorizing a lottery.
By the time the measure hit the Senate, opposition was fierce and dominated what many considered to be a "train wreck of a hearing".
The Senate Tourism Committee’s meeting was posted with little notice and with neither of the two gambling bills that passed the Alabama House earlier this month on the agenda.
Making matters worse, Democrats were completely left out of the discussion.
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham balked at the notion of being excluded from the talks.
“Why would people think that we are supposed to support something that we ain’t had nothing to do directly to develop it whatsoever?”
Robbie McGhee, the vice chair of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ tribal council, said the Poarch Band were not satisfied with the legislation.
“It’s important to us as a people to be successful and to use what we have to build a better Alabama,” he said.
Vestavia Hills City Councilor Kimberly Cook raised concerns about not knowing what the legislation looked like and the part of the House bill that would allow gambling in Birmingham.
“The press says there is a substitute bill, as many of you are aware, and this bill we won’t even get to see it before it’s voted on,” she said. “This is nuts and it isn’t right. It’s not right for the people to not know what’s in the bill before it gets dropped and before it’s voted on the next day.”
But even if any gambling bill had been passed, Attorney General Steve Marshall made it clear his office might not allow most of the leading candidates vying for a license to obtain one.
"I have serious concerns about the gambling legislation introduced last week," Marshall said. "As the chief law enforcement officer of our state, I find it unconscionable that we would reward those who have flagrantly defied our criminal and civil laws, as well as the judgments entered against them by our state's highest court. While this bill will clearly benefit a handful of special interests, it is difficult for me to see how it is a solution to any of our state's most pressing problems."
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
