After a House leader said Alabama sports betting legislation must start in the Senate, a new legislative leader said it could happen early in the session.
Incoming Senate President Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger told Talk 99.5 this week that a gambling bill would likely be considered in the early session if there is appetite. The Alabama legislature convenes on Feb. 4.
The past few years have seen comprehensive gambling packages that, at least at some points, have included Alabama sports betting.
Gudger’s Alabama sports betting promise
Gudger told the radio station he believes an overwhelming majority of the public wants to vote on a lottery. Alabama is one of five states without a lottery.
He noted illegal gambling continues to grow by not addressing the industry. Part of the issue, he said, is where the money from gambling would go. Various lawmakers want it sent to scholarship funds, mental health support or Medicaid expansion.
“I’m going to be polling my colleagues in the Senate to make sure that they want to tackle this situation and this issue,” Gudger told the station. “And if they do, then we’re going to make sure that we have the votes before we take it to the floor. I don’t want any of my colleagues to take a bad vote when it gets there just because there’s not enough votes.
“But if they do want to tackle this and get it behind them for once and for all, then I’m going to allow them to do that. If they don’t, then as the leader I would not allow them to do that. So I think it’s very crucial that if we’re going to do it, we’ve got to do it early though.”
Senate takes lead again
Gudger’s comments come after House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels said gambling expansion discussions will need to start in the Senate. Last year, the House passed a comprehensive package that included sports betting but fell short in the Senate after a conference committee.
The conference committee, however, stripped the bill of the sports betting component. The House’s bill in the last session was primarily based on a package that had passed the Senate in a previous session.
Sen. Greg Reed, whom Gudger replaces as president pro-tem, told a local radio station last year that the Senate will likely remain more conservative on gambling than the House.
