Legislation giving state voters the chance to vote on an education lottery and electronic gaming at a limited number of sites never received a final vote in the Alabama Senate.
Under the conference committee recommended legislation, lottery retailers would have received 7% of every lottery ticket sold had the question been put before the voters and approved.
For the proposal to have gone to the voters statewide, three-fifths of lawmakers had to approve it. In the House, the three-fifths threshold is 63 votes. In the Senate, it is 21 votes.
On a 72-29 vote April 30, the Alabama House approved HB151, the constitutional amendment, which required voter approval. The House vote on HB152, the enabling legislation, was 70-29 with one abstention.
The Senate vote to concur with the conference report on HB151, the constitutional amendment, was 20-15, enough to concur, but not enough to approve placement on the ballot. The bill was then carried over. The 2024 regular session adjourned Thursday, May 9, without senators ever bringing the bill back up for a vote.
Alabama is one of five states without lotteries. HB152 would have established the Alabama Lottery Corp., led by a seven-member board. The board would determine the type of lottery games offered, sale price of tickets, number and value of prizes and make decisions on other policies affecting how the lottery would operate. The games could have included multi-state lotteries and instant games.
The lottery board was to recommend criteria for the selection of lottery retailers to the Alabama Gambling Commission. The criteria would have included financial responsibility; location and security of place of business or activity; character, integrity and reputation; and being current in filing of all applicable tax returns and paying all applicable taxes, interest and penalties owed to the state and local governments.
For more details on the other provisions of the proposed lottery/gambling legislation, read these new stories:
- Lawmakers adjourn session without final gambling vote (apnews.com)
- ‘Why would I do that?’ Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says special session on lottery, gambling unlikely (al.com)
- 1 vote away: How the latest attempt at gambling and lottery sunk in the Alabama Senate (al.com)
- Gambling legislation stumbles in Alabama Senate, lawmakers delay vote (apnews.com)
- How they voted: House, Senate votes on gambling package (aldailynews.com)
- Senate does not take up the legislative package on Thursday (alabamareflector.com)
- Albritton on gambling ‘no’ vote: ‘Nothing to offer PCI’ (aldailynews.com)
This article is part of the Alabama Retail Report, a communication for Alabama Retail Association members. Not a member? Join us!
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