News writer
Alabama came very close to letting its citizens weigh in on a gambling amendment earlier this year — just one state Senate vote away from putting the issue on the ballot.
Despite this narrow miss, one state representative recently reflected on the uphill battle the proposal faced and offered his predictions for the future, stating Alabamians hoping for a straightforward lottery bill might be waiting a while.
One Senate vote away
Back in May, the House approved an amendment that would bring the lottery to the state. The bill then made its way to the state Senate floor and needed the approval of 21 of the Senate’s 35 members to pass.
While there seems to be bipartisan support for the amendment, the vote fell just short, with a final vote of 20-15.
The Senate had one more chance to get the legislation approved and to the voters of Alabama. However, lawmakers in the Alabama Senate failed to even take the bill up again the following day, which ended the hopes of getting the issue before voters in 2024.
How it works
To bring the lottery to Alabama, the state lawmakers have to approve an amendment to the state constitution which would allow for the lottery to be created. If they approve, then it goes to the voters in the state to approve the amendment.
If that amendment passes, then it would become law and lawmakers would work to get the lottery created in the state. However, it hasn’t gotten past that first step and giving Alabamians a chance to vote on it.
During a recent appearance on “The Jeff Poor Show,” State Rep. Mark Shirey, a Republican from Mobile who was a proponent of the amendment, talked about the hurdles they had to overcome for the success of the bill.
"I think a lot of effort, especially in the House, was put into this bill — tough vote, very hard vote," he said. "I'm not one that's particularly for gambling, but I had people on both sides of the issue call me and say, 'Hey, let us vote.' And that's what we voted for, is to let the people vote, whether it was up or down.”
While Shirey had hopes of the amendment getting to the voters in 2024, he is feeling less optimistic about another effort happening in the future.
He said, “Now, I think the people would really vote for just a plain lottery bill, but I just don't see that having a chance in either house."
Utah fighting for lottery also
Utah is another state that doesn’t allow for lottery ticket sales in the state. However, Utah has been trying to make a change to the amendment also.
In August 2024, Rep. Kera Birkeland confirmed she was going to reintroduce a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize the lottery in the state.
After previous failed attempts, Birkeland said the new proposal would include some changes. With the new proposal, some of Utah’s most populous counties, like Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, and Weber, wouldn’t be allowed to sell lottery tickets. However, the counties that border Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona would.
The new proposal should be introduced in the 2025 Utah State Legislature and if approved, it would go to the voters to decide in the 2026 general election.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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