2 Alabama Sports Betting Bills Pass In House, Head To Senate

• Two Alabama sports betting bills (HB 151 and HB 152) passed in the House on Thursday and advanced to the Senate.
• HB 151 and HB 152 would legalize sports betting, casinos, and add a lottery to Alabama.
• Fiscal estimates show between $935.6 million and $1.2 billion in annual revenue from the three gambling expansions.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After roughly four hours of discussion, two Alabama sports betting bills successfully passed out of the House of Representatives. House members voted 70-32 in favor of House Bill 151 and 67-31 in favor of enacting legislature House Bill 152.

The two legal sports betting bills sponsored by Rep. Andy Whitt and Rep. Chriss Blackshear will also legalize casinos and a state lottery through a constitutional amendment. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey expressed her support of gambling expansion, meaning the Senate and voter approval in the 2024 November general election are the final obstacles towards passing.

Benefits of Alabama Sports Betting Bills

The massive gambling expansion bill would add up to $1.2 billion in annual revenue if approved. Many legislators argued that legal Alabama sports betting already exists and the state needs to take advantage of their lost tax dollars to neighboring states like Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Rep. Chris Blackshear made a strong introduction in Thursday’s session by stating “One, we have gambling in Alabama today. Two, we have illegal sportsbooks, gambling halls, casinos, and more. It’s not capped, it’s not controlled, or taxed in any way whatsoever. The final point I’d like to make is the people want to vote on this.”

If the Senate approves the sports betting bills, the people of Alabama will get to vote as Blackshear desires. Sports betting revenue will be taxed at 17%, with 90% of gross sports betting revenue going to the Gaming Trust Fund and the remaining 10% for state law enforcement.

News tags: AL HB 151 | AL HB 152 | Alabama | Andy Whitt | Chris Blackshear