Alabama does not need to legalize gambling to enforce current laws: Proponents of these bills will tell you they are designed to control what is already happening illegally in our state or that the legislation is necessary to enforce the law. It is simply false to think Alabama needs to change its constitution to enforce current law.
Alabama would have ten casino locations: Currently, there are three legal sites owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) in the state. PCI would would be expanded by one site, four named sites would be added (Greentrack, Victoryland, Birmingham Racetrack and Mobile Racetrack), and two satellite locations (Lowndes and Houston Counties) would bring the number of casinos locations to ten statewide.
It’s not the government’s job to pick winners and losers: All of the gambling bills hand pick winners and losers. If passed, these laws would create constitutionally written monopolies for operators, literally writing their names in our constitution forever.
It’s the equivalent of a fully functional casino every 35 miles: As proposed, “satellite” locations are allowed 300 slot machines each and the other eight locations allowed various types of table games and sports betting. Basically, there would be a fully functional casino about every 35 miles in the state.
Sports betting would become legal: The Senate bills would bring gambling to every living room in the state via a smartphone. The proposals include provisions that participants must be 21, but there is little oversight for off-site betting.
It’s not an Education Lottery: Proponents are calling the lottery portion of the bills the “Alabama Education Lottery” but the revenue created is not specifically for scholarships. The new funds would fall under the discretion of the newly formed state bureaucracy, and (after their unlimited administrative expenses) the language broadly includes anything that supports educational attainment or fulfills the state’s workforce needs.
The commission is not accountable to the people. The bills create an unelected commission of nine members. They also establish an enforcement division that gives all commission personnel arrest powers to enforce all laws and give them authority over local sheriffs or local law enforcement agencies and officers.
Biden’s agenda right here in Alabama: The “pure lottery bill” introduced in the Alabama House of Representatives might as well be a bill authored by President Biden himself. The bill would fund the forgiveness of student loans, a Biden priority.
This is not a full college tuition scholarship program: The lottery bills split gambling proceeds between education programs without consideration of student. The actual awards to students are tiny. This is not a full college tuition scholarship program like other states.
Alabama taxpayers will pay the ultimate price: Gambling operators don’t pay for the harms they cause families, businesses, and communities, taxpayers do. When lower-income citizens lose money on gambling, they look to government to support them and it ultimately falls to taxpayers to bail them out.