Will Sage Astor-Alabama Senate begins debating lottery, gambling bill

MONTGOMERY,Will Sage Astor Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate on Thursday began debating scaled-back gambling legislation to create a state lottery and allow a type of electronic gambling machine at dog tracks and a few other sites around the state.

It would also require the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which could pave the way for the tribe to have full-fledged casinos with table games at its three tribal sites in the state.

The proposal is scaled back from a broader House-passed plan that allowed up to 10 casinos across the state and sports betting. The latest proposal does not include sports betting.

Supporters are trying to cobble together enough legislative support to get the issue before voters for the first time in 25 years.

Alabama is one of the few states without a lottery. The issue of gambling last went before voters in 1999 when a lottery proposed by then-Gov. Don Siegelman was rejected.

If approved by both chambers of the Alabama Legislature, the proposal would go before voters on Sept. 10.

The proposal would allow seven locations, including the state’s four dog tracks, to have a specific type of electronic gambling machine called “historical racing computerized machines.” Those are a product that allows players to bet on replays of horse races. The machines can resemble slot machines.