Down to the wire, legislators determine the fate of gambling in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Alabama lawmakers are down to the wire as six days are left in the legislative session to decide whether to bring gambling before voters.

Republicans and Democrats from both chambers have been meeting behind closed doors to determine the fate of gambling in the state. Sen. Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) is one of those leaders on the committee.

He said that he feels optimistic about a bill coming up for a vote before the end of the session. Sen. Gudger says that there is one hard-hitting topic with gambling that is still being discussed.

“Where the money is going, right? Everybody wants to know where the money is going,” Sen. Gudger said. “Is it going for an education lottery? Is it going for mental health? There are a thousand other places that it could go. Obviously, I am a big mental health proponent. I want a lot of it to go there, which is in the general fund.”

Ulysses White worked for VictoryLand Casino in Macon County for 25 years. He traveled to Montgomery to speak with legislators about how important it is to bring this issue before voters.

“[To] make sure that people from Macon County are represented, and they’re being treated fair,” White said. “If this gambling bill is passed, it would boost the whole Black Belt area.”

Political Analyst Steve Flowers said Alabamians are tired of their money going to other states and that they’re ready to vote on gambling.

“I don’t care what they do this entire session. They can pass the best budgets, they can pass all the DEI, they can pass all the bad talking about the libraries,” Flowers said. “All that stuff they pass is without any interest to Alabamians.”

The Eagle Forum of Alabama encourages those opposed to gambling in the state to call their legislators to vote against the bill.

Sen. Gudger says the key for the conference committee is figuring out how to put money towards scholarships for education and mental health. Conversations are set to continue Thursday.

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