Alabama’s HB 490 Fails. Bill Sponsor Envisions No Gambling Chance for Decades

Another Swing, Another Miss

Albritton didn’t sugarcoat it. He told reporters that the odds of legalization are slim for at least 20 years. He’s fed up, saying anything with “gaming” or “gambling” in it gets an automatic no from his colleagues.

Senate President Pro Tempore Garlan Gudger backed that up, noting HB 490 couldn’t scrape together the 21 votes needed in the 34-seat Senate. Too little, too late, and with just 12 session days left, the bill never had a fighting chance.

HB 490 wanted to set up a lottery, bring online gambling under state control, and tackle a patchwork of local rules. Albritton saw it as a way to clean up the mess. Right now, 18 or 19 local constitutional amendments let gambling limp along in spots, making enforcement a nightmare.

He warned that without a statewide fix, local bills will keep popping up, growing the scene “discombobulated” and tough to police.

The bill had backers like Senator Bobby Singleton, who pushed for at least one majority Black-owned casino, and polls showed big public support: 80% for a lottery, 64% for casinos, per KAConsulting’s November 2023 survey.

But that didn’t sway the Senate. Senator Lance Bell pointed to hotter issues like pharmacy benefit managers, hemp products, and farmer healthcare plans, sidelining gambling as a priority. Others, like Senator Chris Elliott, saw no room for compromise, calling more talks pointless.

Why It Tanked

Gudger said the complex bill dropped too late to get traction, with budgets and other must-pass laws hogging the spotlight. Support was thin too, Albritton knew early he couldn’t hit 21 votes.

The word “gambling” alone was poison, he noted, no matter what the bill promised. Some lawmakers, like Bell, griped about earmarked funds, while Senator Kelley flagged the tangle of competing interests as a dealbreaker.

History’s a factor. “We’ve been struggling with this for 25-26 years already,” Albritton said, “and I don’t see anything changing.” Alabama’s dodged lotteries and casinos forever, even as neighbors like Mississippi rake in $3.1 billion yearly.

The state’s stuck with bingo halls and illegal offshore sites, locals drop $500 million there annually, per estimates, while lawmakers bicker and punt.

What’s Next – or Not

Albritton’s gut says gambling’s creeping in anyway, just not how he’d like. “My gut tells me we’re going to have increased gaming and gambling throughout the state,” he predicted, pointing to local bills sneaking through.

He’s not a fan, those patchwork laws “discombobulate” enforcement, he argued, leaving sheriffs and courts scrambling. A local bill’s already floating now, and he bets the same people who nixed HB 490 will back it since it’s not statewide.

For 2025, it’s over. Albritton’s throwing in the towel, saying Alabama’s on the sidelines for decades. Strategist Jonathan Gray sees it heating up for 2026 elections, voters want it, polls prove it, but the Legislature’s not budging.