Alabama Senator Plans Bill to Let Voters Decide on Gambling Expansion

^{Lawmakers in Alabama are preparing to introduce legislation that could allow voters to have a say. on statewide gambling expansion. (Photo: Chad Robertson / Alamy)}

Alabama voters could soon get another chance to decide on whether to bring multiple forms of gambling to the state, according to a local lawmaker.

Alabama State Senator Merike Coleman (D-Birmingham) told AL.com that she will file a bill to authorize a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would create a state gambling commission and allow lawmakers to regulate casino gaming, sports betting, and a lottery.

If approved by lawmakers, the measure would not legalize gambling outright but instead allow the public to decide whether Alabama should move forward with regulated gaming for the first time.

Previous Efforts to Expand Gambling Have Fallen Short

Some gambling currently exists in Alabama. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians runs three tribal casinos, and pari-mutuel betting on horse and dog racing is allowed. But outside of those activities, residents have to leave the state to enjoy legal, regulated gaming, making this one of the most restrictive jurisdictions in the nation.

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been attempts to change the status quo. In 2024, lawmakers nearly passed a bill that would have authorized a statewide vote on lottery, casinos, and sports betting. The Alabama House easily passed the legislation before it came up one vote short in the Senate. A three-fifths vote is required in both houses to approve any constitutional amendment before voters get to weigh in.

A new bill, such as the one proposed by Coleman, could reset the debate and allow everyone to get a fresh look at the prospect of gambling expansion without having to decide on the finer details up front.

“The devil is in the details, and we’ve gotten caught up by them,” Coleman said to AL.com. “This bill simply gives us the ability to come back and actually establish gaming in the state of Alabama. It’s not just the lottery, it’s gaming, it’s sports betting, it’s all of the stuff that folks are talking about.”

The bill would shift the focus away from detailed policy fights and toward a single up-or-down vote by Alabama voters.

Revenue Needs Could Lend Support to Gaming Expansion

Along with the many legislators who came out in favor of gaming in 2024, there are other powerful voices backing the idea that voters should decide on gambling. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has previously expressed support for a vote on a constitutional amendment and authorized a study commission that found gambling could provide financial benefits to Alabama.

The commission also considered how many residents travel to other states to gamble, sending potential tax revenue elsewhere.

Gambling has been on the ballot before. In 1999, Alabama voters narrowly rejected gambling legalization, with 54% of voters coming out against the proposal.

But Coleman says her constituents have been asking about when the state will finally authorize gambling, especially with new federal policies likely to leave significant budget shortfalls in upcoming years.

“We have some major deficits coming at us,” Coleman said. “’27 is going to be hard, but ’28 is going to be doggone near impossible if we don’t have some type of new revenue.”