SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
MONTGOMERY — As Alabamians continue crossing state lines to buy lottery tickets and place legal sports bets, state lawmakers are signaling that a long-debated lottery proposal is unlikely to reach voters in the critical 2026 election year, despite mounting pressure and millions in potential lost revenue.
Alabama remains one of just five states without a lottery or legal sports betting, and that status is not expected to change anytime soon. Legislative leaders say there is little appetite to revive gambling legislation when the 2026 session begins Jan. 13.
Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, both said there is currently not enough support to move a lottery, casino, or sports betting bill forward.
“If I had to give you my gut feeling,” Gudger said, “I would say that it would not be coming up this year.”
High Bar, Low Momentum
Any expansion of legal gambling in Alabama requires a constitutional amendment, meaning approval by three-fifths of both chambers—21 of 35 senators and 63 of 105 House members—before voters ever see it on the ballot.
In 2024, Ledbetter pushed a sweeping gambling bill that included a lottery, casinos, sports betting, a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and a state regulatory commission. The bill passed the House with 70 votes but fell one vote short in the Senate, effectively stalling the effort.
Ledbetter said that failure still casts a long shadow.
“The corruption is as bad as it’s always been,” Ledbetter said, referring to illegal gambling operations across the state. “It’s always going to be there until it’s fixed.”
He added that any future gambling bill would have to originate in the Senate—a hurdle that appears insurmountable heading into 2026.
‘We Missed the Boat’
Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, a longtime supporter of gambling reform, said bluntly that the votes simply aren’t there—and haven’t been.
“I don’t have the votes. I’m not going to waste my time with it,” Albritton said.
Albritton warned that Alabama is losing ground while the rest of the country moves forward. Forty-five states now have lotteries, and sports betting is legal in 38 states, including every state bordering Alabama.
“Sports gaming is out there and it is eating our lunch,” Albritton said. “It’s in pro sports, college sports, and it’s creeping into high school levels. It’s all over.”
Gudger acknowledged the potential upside but said leadership must be realistic.
“When that legislation shows up every year, it sucks all the oxygen out of the room,” Gudger said. “And we still have important work to do for this state.”
New Governor, New Dynamics?
Gov. Kay Ivey has previously supported placing a comprehensive gambling proposal before voters and appointed a study commission that estimated Alabama could generate $510 million to $710 million annually from a lottery, casinos, and sports betting.
But Ivey will leave office in 2027—and the governor’s race could reshape the debate.
Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, widely viewed as the frontrunner, has said the issue belongs to the Legislature.
“The governor shouldn’t have anything to say with that,” Tuberville said earlier this year.
Democrat Doug Jones, who launched his campaign this month, took a different stance—calling for immediate action.
“We’re missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars,” Jones said, posting a video of Alabamians traveling to Georgia to buy Powerball tickets. “It’s time we put the power back in people’s hands.”
Albritton said strong gubernatorial leadership is essential.
“You can’t overcome the big mules in Alabama without the full force of government,” he said.
Opposition Still Powerful
Groups like ALFA (Alabama Farmers Federation) and ALCAP, which lobbies on behalf of churches, continue to strongly oppose any expansion of gambling, citing concerns about addiction, crime, and financial hardship.
Meanwhile, illegal gambling remains widespread—and only a misdemeanor under current law. Efforts to elevate penalties to a felony have failed, and lawmakers say enforcement alone isn’t enough.
“You increase the workload on law enforcement, courts, and prisons without giving them resources,” Albritton said. “That’s why a comprehensive bill matters.”
Voters Still Waiting
The last time Alabama voters weighed in on a lottery was 1999, when Gov. Don Siegelman’s proposal—tied to education funding—was rejected 54% to 46%.
More than 25 years later, the question remains unresolved.
As the 2026 election approaches, Alabamians are once again left watching other states cash in—while the door at home stays firmly shut.