The committee voted to send the bill to the floor of the House of Representatives.
The decision came after a public hearing in which opponents said the bill picks “winners and losers” by naming the nine casino locations. And proponents said it was time to give Alabama voters the opportunity to vote on gambling for the first time in two decades. If approved by lawmakers, the measure would go before voters in November 2022.
The bill would establish a state lottery. Casinos would be located at Victory Land dog track in Macon county, Greentrack dog track in Greene County, Mobile County Race Course in Mobile County and the Crossing at Big Creek in Houston County. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians would also have casinos at its three locations plus the final bid for a new north Alabama site in either Jackson or DeKalb counties.
Alabama gambling legislation advances; vote could come Thursday
Updated May 05, 2021;
Posted May 04, 2021
The Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee discusses a constitutional amendment to allow a lottery and six new casinos.
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A plan to start a lottery, six new casinos, and sports betting advanced today in the Alabama Legislature.
The main bill in the package, a constitutional amendment that would be subject to approval by voters in November 2022, was hashed out in a public hearing that started shortly after 11 a.m.
After the public hearing and a discussion, the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved the bill on a voice vote.
A sweeping measure that would allow voters to decide whether to create a lottery and bring legal casino-style gambling to Alabama won House committee approval Tuesday, setting up a major decision for the chamber in the last days of the session.
But the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee s approval of the amendment, SB 319, came after an hourlong public hearing dominated by opponents of the measure, including a former Alabama governor, who raised concerns about the bill s structure and its impact on excluded facilities in Greene and Lowndes counties. You’re putting us in a hole, you’re burying us, and I think that is not fair, said Rep. Kelvin Lawrence, D-Hayneville, whose district includes Lowndes County.