Alabama Sports Betting Won’t Arrive This Year and People Are Furious

Peter Lewisby Peter Lewis
Updated: June 29, 2023
Alabama Sports Betting Won't Arrive This Year and People Are Furious

We wish we had some good Alabama sports betting news for you, but that’s not the case. While there was a sports betting bill being studied in Alabama, with hopes that things could potentially get across the line later this year, things didn’t go as planned. That bill wasn’t able to pick up steam and it closed the door on any hopes of things being legalized this fall. That’s right, Alabama sports betting won’t arrive this year and people are furious.

Despite several officials trying to push things forward, things indeed won’t be going through. It was revealed this spring that the betting bill wasn’t going to get across the line, and sports fans all across the state can’t believe it. In the southern part of the USA, more and more states are getting things done. South Carolina is expected to launch things in early January, while North Carolina is also hoping to follow suit.

People in Alabama have been hoping for legal betting for years. However, things fell through in 2021 and also in 2022. That’s why there was so much hope and promise that people would be able to put their heads together to make something happen for 2023. Just like South Carolina, people in Alabama were eyeing things being approved this fall, with a launch early in the new year.

People in the Alabama government, including Governor Kay Ivey, were hoping to make it happen for people in the coming months. Now, though, we may not see anything come until either 2024 or 2025. The longer Alabama waits to legalize sports betting, the more money they’re going to lose on potential revenue. The betting handle would be high as well. Now, though, things are delayed and it’s rough to see.

Governor Kay Ivey still dreams of sports betting arriving

While things won’t be coming this year, let’s remember here that Governor Kay Ivey still dreams of sports betting arriving. This is a project that she’s had on her mind for a while now. Ivey has been quite disappointed with the way things have played out, as she knows that people deserve the opportunity to place wagers in their home state. Instead, if people in Alabama want to bet, they have to travel elsewhere.

“I was disappointed that they did not get the gambling bill passed,” Ivey said last fall when things weren’t able to get done for Alabama sports betting. “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.”

The ultimate goal for Ivey would have been passed through the legislation and the Senate in order for people to take their thoughts to the voting polls in the fall. However, that didn’t happen in the fall of 2022 and it won’t be going down in the fall of 2023 as well. The assumption is that if things did make their way to the ballot, the people in Alabama wouldn’t even think twice about voting yes. This is what Ivey wants to see happen before she leaves office.

However, it’s important to remember that if things do go to the November ballot down the road, that doesn’t mean things will be a lock to be passed. Just ask California about that. Last November, California had two sports betting propositions on the ballot, but both of them failed. Having said that, people in Alabama feel hopeful that they’ll be able to get things approved. However, first we must wait for a sports betting bill to be present on the ballot. Again, that won’t happen this fall.

Another year without college football betting is a big blow for Alabama

It goes without saying, but another year without college football betting is a big blow for Alabama. Every September, the NCAAF betting odds are checked consistently across the country and this is 100 percent going to be the case in the coming months. For people in Alabama, they’re always going to be focused on the Alabama Crimson Tide, as Nick Saban and Co. are surely going to be in the hunt to win the National Championship Game.

As things stand, the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, have Alabama with great odds to not only make the College Football Playoff, but to win it all as well. Despite Bryce Young leaving school and being taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft, there’s still plenty of great talent in Tuscaloosa ready to help the Crimson Tide make a lot of noise.

You know people in Alabama will be following Young closely too, which would have led to plenty of NFL bets in the state as well. Alas, only illegal activity will be recorded in ‘Bama in the coming months. That’s negative news for so many different people. Hey, maybe next year, though, things can arrive for the state in terms of legal betting being allowed.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football, baseball and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university. Over time, Peter has cultivated extensive knowledge covering sports betting legislation across the country. He closely tracks the latest regulatory developments and provides key insights into their impacts. Peter also offers sharp MLB betting analysis, leveraging stats and trends to identify value on matchups.

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