Senator Greg Albritton speaks on gambling legislation

April 5, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL – State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Range) spoke with the Alabama Gazette's Brandon Moseley and the Alabama Political Contributor's Chris Peeks about his recent gambling legislation.

Albritton's bill would have created a state lottery, legal sports wagering, allowed six existing casinos to upgrade their games to full casino gambling, and created an enforcement mechanism to close dozens of outlaw casinos operating illegally across the state. That bill was not taken up by the Senate because of lack of support.

Albritton spoke with Brandon and Christopher's podcast about the state of gambling in Alabama and the prospects of gambling legislation moving forward.

"We've been fighting this for 25 years and we've been close two or three times," Sen. Albritton said. "it's clear that the votes are not in the Senate and that there seems to be a group that has every intent to use every methodology to prevent it from coming up."

Passing gambling legislation in the Alabama Legislature is difficult because games of chance are expressly banned by the Alabama Constitution of 1901 (recompiled in 2022). This means that gambling legislation can only be passed by constitutional amendment. That means that any gambling bill takes a yes vote from three fifths of both Houses of the Alabama Legislature. Differing gambling bills passed both Houses in 2024; but a conference committee version fell short in the Senate. Since gambling requires a constitutional amendment any bill that got the supermajority from both Houses would still have to be voted on by the people of Alabama. The last time that happened was 1999 when the people rejected Governor Don Siegelman's (D) complicated lottery plan.

Brandon and Christopher asked Albritton why the Senate rejected his bill.

"They're afraid of it," said Albritton. "That's number one. And they're afraid of the other new ones that don't want it."

"I do it every year," Albritton said about carrying the gambling bill. "I'm at this point, I don't think and I may be tainted, I may be unable to carry it any further. So there's got to be another sponsor, you know, it's gone through two or three. But, but we'll see how that develops. But at this point, I'm, I'm, I got other more things and better things I think that I can try to work with. Now don't get me wrong, I feel strongly that we need to grab this industry."

Gambling is illegal in Alabama; but because of corruption at multiple levels of government in Alabama it is tolerated and even encouraged in many counties in the state. Some counties have local constitutional amendments (Cas) that allow a variety of gaming that would be illegal in other counties. Some cases allow charity bingo, horse and dog parimutuel betting, and some of these casinos have historical racing machines – a somewhat legally dubious practice that has not been yet adjudicated by the Alabama Supreme Court. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (Alabama's only federally recognized Native American tribe) operates electronic bingo machines in Escambia, Montgomery, and Elmore Counties under the auspices of the 1988 Indian Gaming Act.

"This industry is going to become more of a problem as we leave it alone," said Albritton. "We'll have more local CAs, we'll have more illegal gambling, and we'll have more of it occurring all over, especially with sports gaming becoming like it is. But we don't have the resources is that we don't have the legal tools to combat it."

Brandon and Christopher asked why the Legislature does not just pass a simple paper lottery bill.

"It did not pass," Albritton said. "That's number one. And number two, that doesn't resolve the issues with the other 18, 19, 18 or 19, whatever there are, local CAs that authorize it. It doesn't give us any means by which we can actually prosecute anything that's illegal out there, and it doesn't do anything with the sports gaming, nor does the lottery give us enough resources to combat them. Plus, the lottery would be, of all the things that we've talked about, the lottery would be the largest expansion of gaming in the state. It'd be at every crossroads, every place. And with the lottery and the sales of the lottery would come everything else that goes with it."

Albritton said that the public wants to vote on gaming.

"Look, we are cognizant that somewhere around 85% of the population of Alabama wants the opportunity to vote on this matter," said Albritton. "Now only about 70% will vote positive, but 85% will vote on it."