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There is no legalized sports betting market in Alabama. It’s down to 11 after sports betting in Missouri barely passed a vote in early November to bring one more market in legal territory.
Still, Alabama hasn’t budged on its stance. The south, in general, has been resistant to legal betting ever since the federal ban was lifted in 2018. Nearby states to Alabama — Georgia and South Carolina — are also yet to legalize.
However, there’s reason to believe Alabama might be changing its stance soon. We have some interesting updates coming out of the state so keep on reading!
Tribes Lobbying For Betting In Bama
Hate it or love it, in this fine country called the United States, lobbyists are largely responsible for policy changes. They get money from some person or organization to advance a cause. How they advance that cause — whether it’s by funneling money into the right pockets or forming relationships with key stakeholders — varies, but the point is, they get things going in the right direction. Welp, a local Native American tribe has backed powerful lobbyists in the state in the name of sports betting in Alabama.
The Poarch Creek Indians (PCI) entered into a deal with Fine Geddie, an influential lobbying firm. This makes a lot of sense on the side of PCI. For one, they are the only federally recognized tribe in the state. Thus, they can borrow from how sports betting in Florida is done. There are two tribes in the Sunshine State, but it’s the Seminole tribe that carries more weight. The Seminoles eventually monopolized the gambling industry in Florida — keeping commercial sportsbooks out in the process.
The PCI has a monopoly of its own in Alabama. They own and operate the only three casinos in-state — the Wind Creeks in Atmore, Montgomery, and Wetumpka. These casinos offer bingo and electric machines only. It’s not the full Las Vegas-style experience with slots or table games. None of those are allowed inside the state.
Obviously, that’s restrictive, which again, plays into this sports betting push. It would open up a brand-new revenue stream for the Indians — and likely a big one at that. Alabama is known for its hardcore love of football, especially with its two collegiate teams, the Rolling Tide and Tigers. Taking in bets on those two teams alone is worth millions to the tribe, little less the rest of the football world.
The hiring of lobbyists comes at an opportune time for PCI. They’ve timed it with the start of the 2025 legislative session nearing on February 4. Here’s to hoping 2025 is different than the year’s past because as we’re about to detail, Alabama’s sports betting attempts have not gone far in the past.
Previous Efforts Have Failed In Alabama
Alabama has attempted on multiple occasions to legalize sports betting with the most recent shot coming earlier this year. At first, it got off to a blazing start. House Bill 152 cleared the House rather quickly. But here’s the thing: it was a comprehensive bill for betting beyond just sports. It also included provisions to legalize seven more casinos, online casinos, and a lottery system. This was pretty aggressive for a state that’s as conservative as Alabama.
Unfortunately, the bill didn’t stand a chance once it hit the Senate. There, the bill was completely gutted. Both betting on sports and online casino were stripped from the bill, but it left a lottery and new tribal compact negotiations for a casino. The House rejected these changes, causing a back-and-forth for the rest of the legislative year. Once the legislative session ended in May, nothing was passed on the betting front.
For what it’s worth, the PCI was against the proposed gambling expansion bill in 2024. That’s because their gambling exclusivity was effectively challenged. If passed, racetracks would’ve gotten the right to offer casino betting too. The tribe certainly didn’t want that or any type of renegotiated compact, which would’ve been required.
Still, at least sport betting was on the discussion table this past year. All expectations are that it’ll be raised once again come 2025 — and if things work out, the lobbyists the PCI hired will make it a bigger issue among lawmakers.
Tribes Betting Ambitions Know No Bounds
Wind Creek Hospitality, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, also revealed plans to purchase the Birmingham Racecourse. The company has ambitious plans to transform the facility into a top-tier entertainment hub for the entire Southeast (not just Alabama) while maintaining its parimutuel betting and historical horse racing games.
The racecourse was originally launched as the Birmingham Turf Club in 1987, focusing solely on horse racing. Greyhound racing was introduced in 1992 but eventually took center stage after horse racing ended in 1995. Greyhound races, however, were discontinued in 2020, marking the end of live racing at the venue.
All this is to say PCI has their foot on the gas pedal despite their compact exclusivity. This tribe generally wants more betting statewide and is spending big to make it happen.
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