Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, plans to file a bill to put before voters a constitutional amendment allowing a lottery and expanded gambling in the state.
“I have a clean lottery bill that I am very excited about. It’s lottery and gaming,” Coleman said on Capitol Journal on Friday. “I think the people of the state of Alabama should have the opportunity to vote yes or no, do we want this in the state of Alabama.”
Gambling has been a perennial issue in the Alabama Legislature for more than a decade, but negotiations tend to break down amid fights from different factions. Coleman said lawmakers get too caught up in the details, such as where gambling facilities may go.
Her proposal would be to put a yes or no question on the ballot, allowing state leaders to work out the details later.
“This is about letting the very smart and intelligent people of Alabama to say yes or no, we want this in our state,” Coleman said.
Coleman is on the Senate General Fund budget committee. State leaders are bracing for a decline in General Fund revenue starting in fiscal year 2027, which starts in October.
Coleman said she’d tired of watching Alabamians’ money going across the state lines to fund public education and scholarships in other states.
In 2024, a House-approved gambling proposal dominated much of the 2024 legislative session before dying in the Senate.
In a pre-session interview, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said any gambling legislation would have to start in the Senate, but he’d be surprised to see that happen this year.
Last year, Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, floated a gambling bill mid-session. Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger quickly put an end to that speculation.
“I believe that passing a comprehensive gaming bill in the Senate will require engaging in long-term and intense negotiations among members and securing the needed votes and commitments well before a legislative session even begins,” Gudger said at the time.
After this week, this fast-paced, election-year session will be one-third over.