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Don’t bank on any betting bills to get passed in the state of Alabama. Not in 2025. Heck, maybe not in the next 20 years either. Yes, we’re serious about that timeline.
And when we say betting, we mean all forms of betting. It’s not just that sports betting in Alabama is nonexistent. It’s other forms of gambling too. There’s no casino and no lottery. The latter of which is a rather unique spot to be in. There are only five states in the country without a lottery, and Bama is one of them.
By the look of things, that’s going to be the case for a long, long time to come. There’s new quotes coming out of Alabama officials, and none of them are promising for local bettors. Keep reading and we’ll update you on where things stand.
Key Alabama Official Calls Betting Dead For 2025
“With 12 meeting days remaining in the session, both budgets still awaiting approval, and other important bills and measures demanding focus and attention, the comprehensive gaming bill released today is simply too little, too late, and has too few votes to pass.”
Those are the words out of the mouth of Senate President Pro Tempore Garland Gudger. For those unfamiliar with that wordful of a job title, it means that Gudger is the Republican leader of the Alabama Senate. So yes, when he says that legislation is dead for 2025, then it means something.
This statement, though, is not a surprise to anyone following the issue closely or just reading this site on a regular basis. Last month, we wrote about Alabama state senator Greg Albritton, who has long advocated for legal betting. Well, he came out and said he couldn’t get enough votes in the Senate to give legal sports betting (or other gambling) a real shot.
Support is just as low in the House, which wasn’t the case a year before. In 2024, they ended up passing a gambling bill that would’ve legalized sports wagering, casino, and a lottery. But that bill was gutted in the Senate before failing a vote. Heck, even Albritton voted against the stripped-down bill.
He voted against it because Albritton has long pushed for an all-in-one package for betting. Albritton isn’t budging on that. However, another recent quote of his shows his level of frustration on the issue. So much so that he’s floated the idea that betting is dead for decades to come.
Albritton Feels Defeated After So Many Losses
Gudger’s statement nixing betting for 2025 came right after Albritton pitched yet another betting bill in the state. At the start of April, he announced a gambling plan. He stayed in line with what he’s long advocated for — a state-run lottery, electronic gambling in horse racing tracks, fully legal sports betting, and a compact that would allow the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to have four physical casinos.
As we said, he was struggling to get enough votes to even get the Senate to look at the bill. Such a matter requires at least 21 votes among the 34 Senate members. Welp, those votes are going to be impossible after Gudger’s words.
“We’ve been struggling with this for 25-26 years already … I don’t see anything changing,” said Albritton.
He also added he was “disappointed, extremely so” with Gudger. If that’s not the words of a defeated man, then we don’t know what is. It’s understandable too because the hostility toward legal betting predates Albritton’s time in the Senate. It’s cultural, more than anything else.
“We’ve tried everything we can on this bill over the years,” Albritton said. “One thing has been proven is that it doesn’t matter what the bills says, period. If the word ‘gaming’ or ‘gambling’ shows up on the page, it’s a ‘no’ vote.”
When most folks think of anti-betting cultures, they think Utah, Hawaii, or maybe even Texas. But Alabama belongs on that short list too. The lack of even a state lottery makes any other form of betting highly unlikely for the foreseeable future.
Other Ways To Bet In Alabama
Here’s what ticks Albritton off the most: legal or not, betting is rampant up and down the state. Check out this zinger of a quote he recently had:
“If there is anything that is a problem, the biggest problem we have with gambling in society is sports gambling,” Albritton said. “It’s affecting and afflicting, just look at the Sweet 16….We had sports gambling in that hallway (of the Alabama State Senate) before the Super Bowl. It’s occurring in junior highs. It’s eating us up. If we don’t get control of it, we’ll be in serious trouble.”
Alabama has quite a sports culture. Its men’s basketball team just made the Elite 8, the football team is the best program of the 21st century, and there’s a swath of pro teams nearby. So yes, these fans are finding ways to bet on it, most likely through popular offshore sportsbooks.
So in the eyes of Albritton, Alabama is missing out by not regulating and taxing the thing. He’s not wrong either. The state is surrendering millions of dollars per year this way — and as he says, that’s likely to remain the case.
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