Every year that our state leaders continue to ignore reality and refuse to legalize sports betting, our state misses an estimated $65-$90 million in revenue while dealing with the negative consequences created by the unregulated sports gambling industry.
Today, illicit offshore betting site operators are getting richer and richer with no regulatory oversight. Instead of benefiting our citizens, this lost revenue is funding criminal networks and flowing to neighboring states with legalized wagering, strengthening their schools, roads, and public safety.
This lack of oversight puts Alabama’s citizens at risk. Legalizing sports betting and establishing a State Gaming Commission that enforces the law and regulates the market will help to eliminate the black market and introduce consumer protections we lack today.
Roughly 75 percent of Alabamians want the ability to vote on legalizing sports betting. Most people understand that sports betting, legal or illegal, happens every day in our state. Refusing to acknowledge that only hurts our state. We should regulate this industry and hold the worst actors accountable.
Look at how offshore betting sites operate in our state. Currently, children in Alabama can access these offshore sites, betting money that they likely don’t have, and creating habits that will have long-lasting effects.
This happens because these sites operate like the Wild West. There are no regulations, no age verification, and no responsible gaming requirements. Because of lawmakers’ inaction, these sites thrive, while our young people suffer.
A well-regulated sports betting market with safeguards such as self-exclusion programs, know-your-customer protocols, and suspicious activity monitoring, would address these problems.
Legalizing sports betting is not about encouraging the activity itself; it’s about addressing a real problem in our state, providing regulations that safeguard our citizens, and bringing back revenue we lose to criminal networks and neighboring states.
Our lawmakers have a chance to protect Alabamians by joining the 38 other states that have legalized some form of sports betting. These states use the revenue they generate to improve their citizens’ quality of life.
Instead of another tax increase, Alabama could use this money to strengthen its schools, invest in mental health programs, provide veteran services, and mitigate the social ills of gambling that are already occurring.
Lawmakers don’t need to decide whether to allow sports betting in Alabama; it is already happening on a large scale.
The only choice lawmakers have is whether to ignore the chaos of unregulated illegal betting or provide a legal way to bet on sports that safeguards our citizens while keeping millions of dollars in Alabama, where they belong.
Sports betting is not going anywhere; just turn on ESPN. It is time for our state leaders to wake up and stop ignoring reality.
John Longshore, a Montgomery resident, serves as a sports analyst for both the Longshore & McKnight Show and WAKA Action 8 News.
