Alabama Lottery Bill Passes Senate

MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama took one more step toward approving a statewide lottery, as the Alabama Senate Thursday passed the lottery bill by a vote of 21 to 12. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for approval.

Sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton, the paper-based lottery bill excludes video lottery terminals, casino-style gaming and slot machines except for all forms of bingo and pari-mutuel wagering, according to a Birmingham Business Journal report.

This bill is different than the education lottery proposed by gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox during his campaign last year.

The new lottery is expected to generate revenue of $166.7 million annually. That money would go toward administering and operating the lottery, and half of the remainder would go to the Alabama trust fund to repay transfers made to the state general fund from 2013 to 2015. The other half of the remainder would go into the state general fund.

If approved by the House, the measure would go to a statewide vote on March 3, 2020, or “Super Tuesday” when Alabamians vote in the presidential and U.S. Senate primaries.