by
This is the best time of the year to be a sports fan in Alabama. College football is about to start, and that’s what the state lo
lives and does on.
Maybe even more this year because for Alabama fans, it’s the first year without Nick Saban at the helm in about two decades. There’s hope and nervousness with Kalen DeBoer now running the storied program.
Let’s not forget about rival Auburn either though. It’s Year 2 of the Hugh Freeze era — and it’s a prove-it year for the Tigers coach. The program has fallen on hard times, but make no mistake about it, they still want to contend for national championships, and sooner rather than later.
It’s too bad this excitement can’t be translated into sports betting in Alabama though. The state remains one of 12 in the United States without legalization. Only a dozen and Bama is one of them with no avenues to bet on college football or anything else for that matter.
There will be no legalized sports betting in 2024 either as the legislative session has long ended. However, it may be worth looking back on to see why it failed again this year, but more importantly, if it has any chance in 2025.
What Went Wrong In Bama Betting In 2024?
Honestly, there was a hint of optimism at the start of the year in regards to legalized betting. Many experts and even Alabama legislators thought it had a real chance.
Early on, it felt like that optimism was on point. When the legislative session started in February, a sports betting bill was quickly put into action. House Bill 152 cleared the House in no time and featured not only provisions to allow sports betting, but also seven casinos and a lottery. See, there was an appetite to embrace betting even beyond sports.
Or so we thought. The bill was gutted once it hit the Senate. Sport’s betting and iGaming (online casino) were stripped from the bill, but it left in a lottery and tribal compact negotiations for a casino. The House rejected these changes, causing a back-and-forth for the rest of the legislative year.
Eventually, the session ended in May and no gambling bill got passed. At the end, the bill was left with only a lottery, electronic games of chance, and traditional raffles and paper bingo. No casinos or sports betting of any kind. But even then, that stripped-down bill failed to pass.
Honestly, how the bill flamed out leaves a sour taste in our mouths. Sports betting was removed rather quickly. And if the state can’t even agree to pass a lottery that funds education, then it’s going to be hard to get them on board with sports betting. Think of having a lottery as a “gateway drug” to allow other forms of wagering.
Something is in the water in Alabama because the state is anti-gambling in every sense of the word. It’s one of five states without a lottery. Not only that, but the last time gaming of any kind was on even a ballot item was in 1999, and it was defeated in a statewide vote.
Question is, why did support fall apart so quickly after initial momentum? Looking back, it appears a few politicians got cold feet. Here are the words of Senator Greg Albritton, who carries lot of weight in the Crimson State:
“I don’t think [unanimous consent] would happen,” he said a few months back. “We’re stuck. We either have to vote the [constitutional amendment] up or down or just leave it in the basket…That sounds easy enough, but the other problem that comes in is how many of the ‘yes’ votes have already turned back to ‘no.’ Every time we bring this up, we lose votes.”
But get this, Albritton — who sponsored the bill in the Senate — become one of those same voters he chided. At the 11th hour, he called an audible. The bill needed 21 yes votes to pass, but with Albritton’s flip left them with 20. And with that, the bill died for good.
If there’s any glimmer of hope to take away from all this is just how close it was to getting those 21 yes votes. A few years ago, that number would’ve been far less so if you zoom out, there has been a sentiment shift already. It’ll take a few more sentiments to change to get this past the Senate though.
So where do we go from here? Well, we see two ways forward. One is doing what we just covered — getting a few more policy-makers to change course. Even getting five or so politicians to change their opinion could create an avalanche of momentum.
If that fails? Go the way to sports betting in Florida. They used a compact between the governor and the dominating native tribe to legalize betting in the state and even offer it statewide with a “hub and spoke” model. Alabama has a few tribes that could do the same thing — and the opportunity to own a monopoly in the state has to be enticing.
We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, Alabama bettors can always go to offshore sportsbooks to get their bets in. Those work state-wise without issue!
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
