Online Sports Betting Alabama
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Sports betting in Alabama is not currently legal despite multiple efforts to legalize in the past, including an attempt in 2020.
- Mobile Sports Betting
- Online Sports Betting Alabama
- Is Fanduel Legal In Alabama
- Online Sports Betting In Alabama
The most recent bill was HB 336, which would have created the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission. The bill stalled in committee in late March before Alabama’s legislature was suspended until late April because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The only legal sports betting options for Alabama residents are offshore online sportsbooks. Since Alabama lacks online sports betting laws directed at individual bettors, it cannot prosecute any. Alabama sports betting isn’t legal as the state bans all forms of internet gambling. That includes online casinos and other Alabama betting sites. Unlike most states, there aren’t any specific laws here that address the act of real money gambling.
HB 336 would have allowed for retail and mobile Alabama sports betting, which would be important. Most states opt to run retail sports betting either through casinos or lottery retailers.
Alabama has no commercial casinos and just three tribal casinos operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The tribe does have an agreement with a sports betting operator, however. The tribe owns Wind Creek Casino in Pennsylvania and recently signed Betfred as its sportsbook operator.
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Alabama is also one of the last states in the US without a lottery.
The future of Alabama sports betting
Alabama hasn’t had much success with gambling legislation in the past. But it feels likely that AL sports betting will eventually be legalized.
Two of Alabama’s border states, Mississippi and Tennessee, legalized sports betting. Tennessee will offer mobile-only sports betting when operations finally launch. Bettors in Mississippi need to visit a casino to place their bets.
There have been attempts to legalize mobile sports betting in Mississippi. And another border state, Georgia, tried to pass mobile betting in 2020.
It seems likely that if more states begin to allow mobile betting that would be easily accessible to residents of Alabama, legislators would want to find a way to keep those tax dollars from leaving the state.
When will online sports betting launch in Alabama?
It’s impossible to give a timeline right now as no sports betting legislation has made it out of committee in Alabama’s legislature.
That suggests it could take time to get a bill passed since the whole chambers of Alabama’s legislature haven’t had a chance to debate the merits of sports betting.
That said, Alabama has only three tribal casinos and no lottery, so retail AL sports betting could be sparse. It seems like the only way AL could successfully offer sports betting is to offer an open mobile market with untethered operators, like Tennessee.
Latest Alabama sports betting news
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- House Bill 199 that has been pre-filed in the Heart of Dixie would make a state lottery and legalize retail/mobile sports betting in Alabama.
- The Alabama Legislature has until May 30 to decide on whether to approve the bill for a state vote as it requires a constitutional amendment.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama lawmakers are going all-in with their proposals to legalize various forms of gambling in the state.
The Alabama Legislature will begin their 2021 session on Tuesday and adjourn for the year on May 30, giving those within the House and Senate nearly four months to decide on the fate of gaming bills that have been filed.
Two such bills have already started to process with one being pre-filed prior to the opening day of the Legislature. Each bill seeks to open up a state lottery, while the two differ in one wanting sports betting with the lottery while the other wants a casino gaming industry.
The Sports Betting & Lottery Bill
Within the entire United States, Alabama is only one of five that remains without a lottery of its own. State Representative John Rogers (D-Birmingham), who has worked since 1985 as a lawmaker in the Heart of Dixie and is the sponsor behind House Bill 199 hopes to change this.
Mobile Sports Betting
Rogers is no stranger to the legislative process and has a long history of being an advocate in getting a legalized gambling industry that has both a state lottery and sports betting in Alabama.
House Bill 199 would like to amend section 65 within the Alabama Constitution which would allow for a lottery to open through such an amendment. Along with this request in Rogers’ bill is that to open a sports wagering market in the state. The sports betting section of his proposal would have both retail and mobile sportsbooks for Alabamans to enjoy.
Land-based locations eligible to apply for a license would include all horse racing and dog tracks statewide as well as the three Tribal Wind Creek casinos of Alabama.
Under AL HB 199, a Sports Wagering Committee is requested to be able to extend various other licenses within the industry to outside businesses and interested parties. During a study on wagering in the Heart of Dixie that was requested by Governor Kay Ivey in 2020, findings suggested at least $700 million in yearly revenue from legal lottery, sports betting, and casino gaming markets.
House Bill 199 has detailed where the profits generated from a state lottery would go with 40 percent being put toward the education system, 40 percent going toward the general fund, and the remaining 20 percent being put toward the Alabama Department of Corrections.
What’s Next For Alabama
The other bill that would like time on the floor of the Alabama Legislature in 2021 does not reference a legal sports betting industry. Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Talladega) wants a state lottery and Class III Gaming for the three Tribal casinos in the state.
This gaming would require a Tribal Gaming Compact between the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and Alabama.
Online Sports Betting Alabama
There is no such contract now which is why the casinos only offer bingo at this time. Marsh’s proposal would have casino games and a lottery open to residents with profits going toward getting more areas in Alabama access to high-speed internet and funding for scholarships in higher education.
The Alabama Legislature has until May 30 to discuss the fate of these two bills. Should sports betting be classified as Class III gaming, it could be included in Marsh’s bill during future hearings on the floor.
While both bills aim to bring more funding to the Heart of Dixie, Governor Kay Ivey has said that she would have the final say on whether or not any gambling bills that receive passage in the House and Senate and land on her desk become law.
And with the sports betting bill, a constitutional amendment would need to see a public vote where 60% of Alabama would need to be in favor of a legal lottery and a sports betting industry for the state to move forward.
News tags: AL HB 199 | Alabama | Alabama Constitution | Alabama Legislature | Del Marsh | House Bill 199 | John Rogers | Kay Ivey | Poarch Band of Creek Indians | Wind Creek Casinos
Is Fanduel Legal In Alabama
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Online Sports Betting In Alabama
Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.
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