Post by account_disabled on Feb 27, 2024 2:29:28 GMT -6
MONTGOMERY, Alabama. — A group of Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping gambling bill that could authorize a state lottery and 10 casinos across the conservative Deep South state, as some Republicans seek to put the question before voters in November. Alabama is one of the few states without a state lottery, after lawmakers in 1999 rejected a proposal to allow it. And unlike neighboring Mississippi, the state has resisted casinos complete with table games and slot machines. Lawmakers estimate the proposal could provide more than $800 million in annual revenue to the state. If approved by three-fifths of lawmakers, the proposal would be put to a vote for voters to decide. "We believe people deserve the right to vote on this issue," said Republican Rep. Andy Whitt, who led a group of lawmakers who worked on the bill. The gambling bill, now backed by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, was one of several controversial measures introduced by lawmakers to start the legislative session. A committee proposed legislation that would make it a crime to return someone else's absentee ballot, a restriction that Republican supporters said they want to enact before November's presidential election.
A draft of the gambling legislation was distributed to lawmakers on Wednesday and supporters said the bill could come up for votes in committee and on the House floor as soon as next week, depending on support. Republican supporters of the bill will need to garner votes within their ranks and also win the votes of a substantial number of Democratic lawmakers. "We're going in the right direction," Republican Rep. Chris Blackshear, who will sponsor the bill, said Paraguay WhatsApp Number of efforts to get the 63 votes needed to pass the bill in the Republican-dominated House. Several lawmakers from both parties said they needed more time to review the bill before determining how they will vote. Supporters presented the bill as a means to crack down on small electronic gaming machines that have sprung up in convenience stores and small arcades. The state has been in a long-running legal battle to shut down electronic bingo machines, which have rotating screens that make them look like slot machines. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which is not under state jurisdiction, has three sites with similar slot machines.
The proposed constitutional amendment would allow for a state lottery, seven new casinos, sports betting and would also authorize the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians that would allow the tribe to offer casino gaming at its three existing locations. The tribe could also offer such games at a new casino in north Alabama that could draw customers from Tennessee and Georgia. Lottery proceeds would go toward educational programs such as scholarships for two-year community and technical colleges and dual enrollment. Revenue from casinos and sports betting would go to the general fund, where lawmakers would decide each year how to allocate it. The controversial bill to enact restrictions on absentee voting would make it a misdemeanor to hand over another person's completed absentee ballot or distribute an absentee ballot application pre-filled with another person's name. It would be a felony to give and receive payment to help people vote absentee. Supporters say the change is necessary to combat voter fraud, but opponents say it would discourage absentee voting.
A draft of the gambling legislation was distributed to lawmakers on Wednesday and supporters said the bill could come up for votes in committee and on the House floor as soon as next week, depending on support. Republican supporters of the bill will need to garner votes within their ranks and also win the votes of a substantial number of Democratic lawmakers. "We're going in the right direction," Republican Rep. Chris Blackshear, who will sponsor the bill, said Paraguay WhatsApp Number of efforts to get the 63 votes needed to pass the bill in the Republican-dominated House. Several lawmakers from both parties said they needed more time to review the bill before determining how they will vote. Supporters presented the bill as a means to crack down on small electronic gaming machines that have sprung up in convenience stores and small arcades. The state has been in a long-running legal battle to shut down electronic bingo machines, which have rotating screens that make them look like slot machines. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which is not under state jurisdiction, has three sites with similar slot machines.
The proposed constitutional amendment would allow for a state lottery, seven new casinos, sports betting and would also authorize the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians that would allow the tribe to offer casino gaming at its three existing locations. The tribe could also offer such games at a new casino in north Alabama that could draw customers from Tennessee and Georgia. Lottery proceeds would go toward educational programs such as scholarships for two-year community and technical colleges and dual enrollment. Revenue from casinos and sports betting would go to the general fund, where lawmakers would decide each year how to allocate it. The controversial bill to enact restrictions on absentee voting would make it a misdemeanor to hand over another person's completed absentee ballot or distribute an absentee ballot application pre-filled with another person's name. It would be a felony to give and receive payment to help people vote absentee. Supporters say the change is necessary to combat voter fraud, but opponents say it would discourage absentee voting.