Maybe a comprehensive gambling bill with a lottery, table games and sports betting is dead, but a “plain and simple lottery” might still be in play.
This bill allegedly allows a lottery and nothing else.
Per Yellowhammer News’ reporting:
The bill would see a lottery administered by a newly created Alabama Lottery Corporation, which would be overseen and regulated by a newly created Alabama Lottery Commission.
“The corporation may allow lottery games of all types,” the legislation reads. “Games may include, but are not limited to, new games, draw lotteries of various types, interstate lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions, instant winners such as scratch-offs, Keno, and iLottery, or any other lottery offered in another state.
So, can it overcome the two votes the most recent lottery bill failed by?
State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) is one of those previous “no” votes. He believes this now gives him something he can say yes to.
“As I understand, the bill as it is now, I think I can support it to put it on the ballot for people to vote on,” Orr said Friday on Huntsville WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show.”
For Orr, the difference in this appears to be the stroke special interests might wield in some of the other bills proposed on this matter, and for that reason, he sees it passing the Alabama State Senate.
He advised, “I think this particular vote, unless one is tied to the Indian casinos or the old McGregor casinos or any of those other operations, then I think it will by and large get support across the board in the Senate.”
My takeaway:
What happens in the Alabama State House if this were to pass is anyone’s guess, but this is not as dead as some thought it was two weeks ago.
Listen:
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 AM weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10AM to noon.
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