Chris Boline
The uncertainty surrounding Alabama sports betting really has been frustrating for so many people in the area. There was some hope that things would go down this year, but then everything fell down the wayside in rough fashion. So, what’s the latest on things? Well, Alabama sports betting could actually come in 2023, which would of course be fantastic new for everyone in the state.
According to a report, there truly is some optimism about things getting done next year. Well, why didn’t it happen in ’22? The fact of the matter is that it being an election year played a negative role on sports betting moving forward. This clearly wasn’t a priority for the lawmakers, and they’re 100 percent more focused on the upcoming elections in November. Once November passes, though, more time and resources could go to the sports betting.
“The reason it didn’t pass or be addressed this last year was because it was an election year,” Political analyst Steve Flowers said on Alabama sports betting via Gambling.com. “The first year of the four-year term is when things like this are addressed, so that’s what makes it more likely (2023) will be the year.”
From what Flowers had to say, this really does have people excited about things possibly getting over the line. With the lawmakers more worried about the elections, it makes sense that nothing was able to get done this time around. However, with things being more open once the elections come and go, that will definitely open the door for Alabama sports betting to be made a priority. This will be something to watch.
The year is 2022 and sports betting is legal everywhere in the U.S. except:
Alabama
Alaska
California
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Vermont— Sam McQuillan (@sam_mcquill) July 25, 2022
The University of Alabama has high national title odds once again
What’s going to make things quite intriguing for sports betting fans is that the University of Alabama has high national title odds once again. Matter of fact, Alabama holds the No. 1 odds, but the Georgia Bulldogs are right behind them. Per reports, experts across the country think that both of these teams will be neck and neck when it comes to the NCAAF odds throughout the season.
This sure would be great to see, as the SEC powerhouses faced off in the National Championship Game last season. Georgia ended up coming out on top, which prevented Alabama from going back to back. No one forgot about them winning it all in 2020, with Mac Jones helping the team come out on top. Jones was stellar and it helped him become a first-round pick by the New England Patriots.
Last season, Bryce Young ended up taking over the offense and the former 5-star quarterback was downright electric. He won the Heisman Trophy and helped Alabama get to the final against UGA. While Alabama wasn’t able to come out on top, the hype is there for Young and Co. to try and capture the glory this upcoming winter. It’ll be on Young to try and make that happen, but he sure has what it takes to get that job done.
With Alabama’s odds being so high, along with Georgia, this is only going to make people want to bet on them if they get back to the National Championship Game. For people in Alabama, this may not be able to happen in time, as while people are eyeing a 2023 launch, early January may just be too tight to get things done here. You never know what might end up happening, however. This will all be a situation to monitor for a while.
Make it a Movie 🎞️#BamaFactor #RollTide pic.twitter.com/xALC6hYRjg
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) July 26, 2022
People in Alabama continue to make bets in Mississippi
One thing to keep in mind is that people in Alabama continue to make bets in Mississippi, as the neighboring state currently does have legal wagers. This is both good and bad news. Per a report, the amount of people traveling in the summer months to make bets in Mississippi has sure increased. This is expected, as people are not only making bets on baseball, but they’re also checking out the NFL odds for some futures picks too. Plus there’s the Super Bowl.
This is only going to increase once the regular season gets underway. With training camps getting started this week, the excitement for football sure is at a high level right now – which in turn is resulting in plenty of bets. While that’s good news for Mississippi, this is having a negative economic impact on Alabama. Imagine if there was legal sports betting in the state – which is what everyone has been hoping for.
Rather than people traveling to Mississippi, people would be spending their money inside the Alabama state lines. This would of course be good for all of the local businesses out there. Now, though, people are in turn spending that money over in Mississippi, while they’re in town making their sports bets. See how that has an impact on things as a whole? That’s not good for Alabama and the hope is that this can change sooner enough. Maybe by next year it does.
