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It feels like Alabama sports betting history could end up being made later this year. For a while now, nothing but negative updates have followed the push to try and get things legalized. However, the fact of the matter is that lawmakers are taking things quite seriously this year and people think the laws indeed could be changed sooner rather than later. The odds of that happening have skyrocketed this week, with the news that an Alabama sports betting bill is now headed to the state Senate.
Earlier this week, the bill was presented to the state House, with at least 63 votes needed for things to move to the next step. Thankfully, according to a report, 67 votes were tallied, meaning the House vote was one of approval. Now, things will make their way to the Senate and that’s where the process will really get interesting. There’s been plenty of division on sports betting in Alabama, but this latest update really makes it feel like the state is getting closer to receiving the green light.
“The last time the citizens in Alabama got to vote on any type of gaming in this state we were all worried about what would happen at the stroke of midnight in the year 2000,” Republican Chris Blackshear said while speaking to the media. “I think personally, it’s a great day for the state of Alabama and finally, at least from the House perspective, we heard you loud and clear from the polling and we’re giving the citizens a right to decide what they want in this state when it relates to gaming.”
In addition to sports betting, there was also good news for the lottery and casino efforts. Alabama has been missing out on a tremendous amount of potential revenue, but that would change in a big way if sports betting finally arrives. This feels like a major step for Alabama, but more loops still need to be climbed through. Only time will tell how things go in the state Senate, but people sure feel like there’s a great chance that things can get done.
BREAKING: The Alabama House of Representatives has passed two bills to legalize casinos, sports betting, and a lottery in the state through a constitutional amendment. Both bills passed by the necessary three-fifths majority.
Next up is the Senate.
— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) February 15, 2024
Legal Florida betting has surely opened plenty of eyes in Alabama
Taking a look at things from a bigger picture, there’s no question in our mind that legal Florida betting has surely opened plenty of eyes in Alabama. Earlier this winter, Florida was able to re-launch legal betting and the numbers have been through the roof. With that, the tax revenue for the state and Governor Ron DeSantis has been quite impressive too. All in all, it’s been a major win for Florida and different betting partners.
With the early success, other southern states have surely taken notice, with Alabama high on the list. Alabama has wanted sports betting for a long time, but politicians haven’t been able to get on the same page there. For the most part, Democrats are in favor of having the laws changed, but Republicans have cited numerous different negatives for why they’re fully against sports betting. It has been disappointing that people can’t get on the same page, but this new bill could make things different.
One thing to keep in mind too is that online betting will simply have to be part of the project for Alabama. We’ve seen other states try to push forward with only in-person betting, but their numbers haven’t been as high as people would have hoped. In the Northeast, Delaware recently brought in legal online betting and it’s already making a major difference in terms of the state’s total sports betting handle. This was a no-brainer for Delaware.
In the coming months, hopefully sooner, we’ll find out what the next steps will be for Alabama sports betting. Folks are pretty darn excited right now, but it’s important to remember that Alabama has been close in previous years too, but nothing ended up happening. It will be interesting to see if that isn’t the case this year or not. We sure hope that legal betting does come.
Alabama is hoping to overcome high illegal football betting
As the state pushes forward, there’s no doubt that Alabama is hoping to overcome high illegal football betting. Over the past month, the state was dealing with people checking the NFL betting and NCAAF betting odds to place bets on the postseason. The College Football Playoff had a ton of intrigue because of Nick Saban and Co. making the semifinals. However, they lost to Michigan and Saban has since announced that he’s retiring from coaching.
Headed to INDY! 🙌🏟️@ArnoldTerrion @Chrisbras410 @NASAMAINE3 @JustinEboigbe @Jaylen_Key @TKJaayy @thekidjase @GaQMcK1 @WillReichard @UnoErra #BuiltByBama pic.twitter.com/LYQIJjxy0g
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) February 13, 2024
It was a pretty big surprise, but just because Saban is on his way out, that doesn’t mean that people are going to stop betting on the Crimson Tide moving forward. There’s plenty of excitement with Kalen DeBoer taking over as head coach and the hope is that he can get Alabama back to the CFP next season. Regardless of what happens there, people all over Alabama will be fired up to bet on football games. You better believe that NFL betting will be high, but we’re hopeful wagers will be legal by next year.
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