Alabama Sports Fans Aren’t Hopeful for 2023 Betting

Peter LewisPeter Lewis | June 21, 2022
Alabama Sports Fans Aren't Hopeful for 2023 Betting

The thought of Alabama sports betting arriving this year had people fired up all over the place. However, it doesn’t look like things are going to even be going according to plan for next year. After the bill didn’t pass in the senate, wiping it away for 2022, Alabama sports fans aren’t hopeful for 2023 betting to go down either, as there isn’t much optimism going down.

The fact that things were looking promising and then the legislators basically shut it down has everyone in a bit of a panic. With that said, there’s still an outside chance that things could be made right at this point next year. If that does happen, then the long wait would be over for sports betting in the state. With that said, people all over Alabama are not happy about how things went down.

As things stand, more than 30 states have legalized sports betting and things are expected to grow soon too. California figures to legalize things once the next ballot rolls around. Other states are hoping to get things across the finish line as well, but everything is up in the air when it comes to Alabama sports betting. While the thought of 2023 sounds nice, who knows if this will happen.

On top of that, the fact that lawmakers in the state appear to be against this as a whole isn’t going to help things. People would love nothing more than to make their bets on a consistent basis, but this isn’t going to happen unless everyone can get on the same page in the state’s capitol. Only time will tell if that happens or not, but people don’t have high hopes in this department.

Alabama knows its losing revenue money without betting

With all of this said, Alabama knows it’s losing revenue money without betting going through. All over the USA, countless states have legalized sports betting and they’re seeing the revenues go on to help with needed resources. This includes battles with mental health, homelessness, education and much more. Alabama would be wise to take advantage of this.

However, with sports betting being put on hold, this isn’t a possibility. On top of that, Alabama is also losing money with its citizens leaving the state and going elsewhere to make its wagers. Imagine the fact that people in Alabama have to leave their own state limits to place bets at a different location? Not only does this not make sense, but it’s also quite frustrating for so many people.

This is costing local businesses too, which shouldn’t be the case. The longer Alabama waits to legalize things, the more money they’re going to be losing. This of course includes the high amount of bets that would be coming during the college football betting season. People always check the NCAAF odds over in Alabama, with the Crimson Tide and Auburn drawing plenty of attention.

Come this fall, people were hoping they’d be able to bet on both SEC powerhouses, but that’s been wiped away with the latest decision. At this point next year, people could be waiting to see if they can bet on college football or not, but things are quite unclear. That could change in the coming months, but no one knows how things are all going to shape out. It will continue to be a wait and see.

MLB and NFL odds would also be big in Alabama

It goes without saying, but the MLB and NFL odds would also be big in Alabama. Starting with the MLB, despite Alabama not having a pro team, they have reps in the minors in the state. In a summer night, there’s nothing better than hitting a minor league game and enjoying the action. Imagine if people would be able to bet on those games as well. Those minors teams also bring in MLB interest.

Right now, we’re seeing millions of MLB bets go down across the world, as the season is in full swing. Things are going to keep getting better and better there, as the MLB All-Star Game is right around the corner as well. That game always brings in plenty of fans and they of course love betting on things over the weekend, especially the Home Run Derby.

As for the NFL action, people also love the pro football action. Similarly to baseball, there’s no pro football team in the state. However, with so much talent at Alabama and Auburn, a lot of those stars often make their way to the NFL. For Alabama, they saw former offensive tackle Evan Neal be taken No. 7 overall by the New York Giants. They’ll be following him.

Over in the AFC, Minkah Fitzpatrick just signed a huge extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alabama fans will be following him closely. Those fans would love to bet on the Steelers and Giants, but they can’t next year. Will they be able to do so the season after? We’re going to have to wait and see on that.

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.