From staff and wire reports
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama House of Representatives voted Thursday to reject Senate changes to gambling legislation and go to a conference committee.
But the Senate adjourned Thursday afternoon without taking similar action, meaning the lottery and gambling proposal remains in legislative limbo.
Conference committees are called when there are differences between Senate- and House-passed versions of bills. Each chamber assigns three members to the committee.
The House in February passed a plan that would include sports betting and up to 10 casinos with table games. The Senate last month eliminated sports betting and reduced the number of potential casino sites.
The Senate version would allow a state lottery, electronic wagering machines at dog tracks and several other locations and require the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Rep. Chris Blackshear, the House sponsor of the bill, told representatives that he believed the Senate was leaving the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue “on the floor” with the scaled-back bill. Blackshear said he is hopeful that lawmakers can reach an agreement, but he also acknowledged there is a vast difference between what the two chambers approved.
“I think we’ve got to identify what that middle ground is first because it’s such a distance between the two. They’re not even close bookends. So we’ve got to first off establish what that middle ground looks like and then have those conversations,” Blackshear said.
House members had approved a proposed constitutional amendment to allow a state lottery, sports-betting at in-person sites and online platforms, and up to 10 casino sites with table games and slot machines. The Senate plan eliminated sports betting and reduced the number of potential casino sites.
Any gambling proposal would have to be approved by both three-fifths of lawmakers and a majority of voters. Alabamians have not voted on gambling since a proposed lottery was rejected in 1999.
The bills have made it farther this session than any in recent history.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said in a statement that he was hopeful that lawmakers will find a compromise.
“If one thing has been made clear throughout this process, it’s that the people of Alabama want and deserve an opportunity to vote on this issue,” Ledbetter said.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, has been a proponent of the bills, said Thursday afternoon he’s hopeful Senate conference committee members will be assigned Tuesday.