Alabama Sports Betting 5d3d4h

At the start of the 2019 legislative session, Alabama Rep. John Rogers (D) introduced HB 315, known as the Alabama Sports Wagering Act. The bill would allow wagering on "certain professional or collegiate sports or athletic events" and wagers on "any mobile application or other digital platform used to place wagers." The bill would also create the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission, which would regulate the state’s sports betting industry.

In 2019, Alabama ed HB361 into law, rendering daily fantasy sports contests legal under state law.

In May 2021, lawmakers decided not to discuss Senate Bill 319, which would have made regulated gaming and sports wagering a possibility. The measure ed in the Senate on April 13 where it was then read in the House on 15 April.

In February 2024, Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter advanced a comprehensive gambling package, which includes sports betting. The House achieved the necessary 60% threshold to a constitutional amendment, forwarding the bill to the Senate.

In March 2024, the Senate significantly scaled back the bill. The sections concerning casinos and sports betting were omitted, with senators now solely deliberating on the inclusion of a lottery.

However, the Senate's bill does incorporate several gaming-related measures aimed at overseeing the lottery and existing forms of gambling. This entails the establishment of a gaming commission tasked with the oversight, regulation, and taxation of the industry.

Sports betting remains illegal in Alabama. The latest legislative effort to legalize sports betting failed in the Senate, and there are no legal online or retail sportsbooks operating in the state. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) remain legal under the 2019 law.