Alabama Governor is Clearly Open to Sports Betting

Peter LewisPeter Lewis | November 24, 2022
Alabama Governor is Clearly Open to Sports Betting

With the November elections wrapped up, the results could bring promising news for people who want sports betting in Alabama to arrive down the road. For years now, Alabama hasn’t been able to move forward with legislation, which has frustrated plenty of people. Well, things could be looking a bit more positive, as the Alabama Governor is clearly open to sports betting.

Kay Ivey, of the republican party, won her re-election and she indeed has her eyes on sports betting and gambling potentially making its way to ‘Bama. As has been the case in other southern states, Alabama has failed to bring to life legal betting. This is something that a lot of people want changed as soon as possible. During her previous term, Ivey realized that sports betting could be big for Alabama as a whole, which is why she’s open to it coming.

“I was disappointed that they did not get the gambling bill passed,” Ivey said previously on sports betting not going through in Alabama. “Not that I am so much for gambling, but I do think the people of Alabama ought to have the right to make that decision. I wish that had passed the legislature so that people could vote it up or down in November.”

As you can see from that quote from Ivey, she herself isn’t planning on making any kinds of bets, but she surely is a fan of people in Alabama having the choice to do so if they please. Not everyone is a fan of sports betting, but Alabama feels like it’s getting closer to maybe moving in the right direction. Both Alabama and Georgia have monster revenue opportunities, but they’re yet to make something happen.

Opposition for sports betting in strong in Alabama

What really is limiting things from taking a step forward is that the opposition for sports betting is strong in Alabama. As we mentioned above, there’s been plenty of folks who have had their eyes on legal wagers coming to the state for a while. However, there has also been a lot of people who are doing everything they can to prevent sports betting and legal gambling from arriving in the near future.

What’s really holding things up is that state legislators can’t get on the same page here. Similar to the local citizens, some legislators are open to sports betting, while others want nothing to do with it. This is preventing actual movements from taking place. Ivey has seen this back and forth and she’s understandbly getting a little sick and tired herself of people not coming to an agreement.

Just like Georgia, football is massive in Alabama. The NCAAF betting odds would be checked consistently, with Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide always being a national powerhouse. It may be a bit of a down year for the Crimson Tide, but college football betting as a whole is always going to be a popular topic of conversation. The SEC in particular would lead to countless wagers being made in Alabama if it were legal.

This is something Ivey understands. Not only would the college ranks be fun to look at, but the NFL betting odds would surely be checked daily too. There might not be a pro NFL team located in Alabama, but football supporters are always going to be paying attention to the teams in nearby states. The Atlanta Falcons, for example, are always a team that people in Alabama will have interest in. That’s why they’d love to be able to bet on them as well.

There’s still no timetable for Alabama sports betting

With all of that information that you’ve just digested, keep in mind that there’s still no timetable for Alabama sports betting to arrive. Ivey speaking in favor of sports betting is one thing, but now people are asking for her to take things into action. Bills will need to be presented to the legislation and that will need to be approved. Then after that, all eyes will be on the next eligible ballot for people to vote on.

Right now, it really does feel like things are split. If things do make their way to the ballot, then it’s up in the air if people in Alabama would vote sports betting in or not. Keep in mind that in California for example, there were two propositions that were present on the most-recent ballot. With this, the assumption was that one of the two would end up passing. As we all know by now, that wasn’t the case, with both failing.

For Alabama, it’s going to be imperative for the right kind of proposition to be presented. It’s going to have to be one that’s going to make both sides happy. Otherwise, people will likely race to the polls to turn it down. This is not what any of the proponents for sports betting want to see. Now, the pressure is on Ivey to get something done. If she’s serious about sports betting and making people happy, then she must take action soon.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university.