The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill allowing for paid-entry fantasy sports contests in the state and it will now go to the Senate for the next round of voting. It passed by way of a 43-38 vote after the state decided that fantasy sports do not fall under Alabama’s anti-gambling laws.
Sports Betting Bills Introduced State Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham) filed two sports betting bills in the state House this week. On Tuesday, he filed House Bill 315 that would create the Alabama. 21 January 2010. Governor Robert Riley's attempts to rid Alabama of gambling have hit a roadblock. A new bill heads to the house in oppostion of the Governor's stance.
This was a surprising result because just last year the Alabama attorney general (now U.S. Senator), Luther Strange, requested that the big name daily fantasy sports sites like DrafKings and FanDuel stop operations and now this new regulation includes DraftKings as well as FanDuel.
Sports Gambling Sites
The big debate about the topic was centered on whether or not DFS games were games of chance or games of skill and the House even attempted not to put this up for a vote or a debate at all and moved on to the next bill. There was then confusion with the voting machines and the bill was ultimately brought back up for consideration.
A debate on the topic ensued and it was heated, to say the least. The debate lasted almost two hours as each member of the house touched on the issue and expressed their thoughts. One member even called out several other representatives that he claimed place bets on college football games regularly. His point was clearly to show how ridiculously hypocritical it was to be voting against something that even some representatives partake in, but it certainly caused a stir.
This new bill is huge for the DFS movement as Alabama was once one of it’s most opposed states. If the Senate passes the new bill as well, it would regulate fantasy sports contests and the operators will be taxed accordingly. After the wild debate and close vote in the House, expect the Senate to be a similar scenario. There’s no telling how the vote will go but it is absolutely a step in the right direction for fantasy sports and sports betting in Alabama, regardless of the results.
- AL HB 315 is a new sports betting bill that has appeared in Alabama.
- This is the very first sports betting bill for the state.
- Multiple attempts to legalize any form of gambling has failed in Alabama.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A brand new sports betting bill has appeared for the first time in Alabama on Tuesday.
Representative John Rogers has introduced AL HB 315 to Alabama’s House of Representatives. This bill aims to legalize sports betting in Alabama and it gives the details on what needs to be done for it to be successful in the Yellowhammer State.
Alabama Sports Betting Bill
What The Bill Will Do
There are a large number of things that this bill sets out to do for Alabama. One of the key actions is this bill will create and authorize the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission.
This commission is being created due to the fact that there are no authorities for gambling in Alabama. The state doesn’t have any casinos and there isn’t even a state lottery. There are tribal casinos but they aren’t allowed to offer table games. If Alabama passes this bill, the Sports Wagering Commission would be Alabama’s first gambling authority.
To fund this commission, the state is going to tax the gross revenue of sports betting at a 10% rate. This money taxed will go directly into the Alabama Sports Wagering Fund. It doesn’t seem like the tax for sports betting will go into anything else.
Where To Place Your Sports Bets
Because there are no state-licensed casinos or lotteries in Alabama, the bill says that sportsbooks will open in Alabama’s pari-mutual tracks. The only issue with this is that there is only on track in Alabama that has live racing; a greyhound racing track in Birmingham. It is currently unclear whether or not the bill will allow for sports betting in their simulcast tracks.
One of the more likely ways that people in Alabama will place their bets is through their mobile device or on the internet. AL HB 315 authorizes sports betting to be done through a mobile device anywhere in the state. The bill says that the mobile platform will be done through a “licensed gaming facility,” but it doesn’t indicate exactly who will run the app.
Sports Betting Is A Longshot In Alabama
Alabama sports betting has a very tough hill to climb before it can be legalized. The Yellowhammer State has stood a strong stance against any form of gambling expansion. It has been almost 20 years since the state’s residents have been able to vote to authorize a state lottery.
Michigan Sports Gambling Bill
There is also the fact that daily fantasy sports (DFS) is also considered illegal in Alabama. DFS operators like DraftKings and FanDuel had to pull out of the state back in 2016. Any attempt to legalize and regulate DFS has failed since then.
Alabama has even restricted what the tribes can offer in their casinos. The tribal casinos are not allowed to offer table games, they can only offer bingo machines. The only reason why these casinos are allowed to exist is that they are in tribal lands.
Sports Gambling Stocks
But this doesn’t mean that sports betting in Alabama is doomed to fail. The fact of the matter is pari-mutual racing is allowed in Alabama. If lawmakers can convince opponents that sportsbooks can coexist with pari-mutual races in these tracks, then there is a chance that sportsbooks can open in the near future. There isn’t a lot of time to debate the bill as the legislature dismisses in June.
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