Lottery News

Immediately after a gambling bill was rejected in Alabama, a new bill was proposed by a Senator that aimed at creating a new lottery bill that focuses on creating an official state lottery.

It was Senator Del Marsh, who originally proposed a bill that would legalize gambling in Alabama and open the doors for several casinos, other forms of gambling, and of course a state lottery.

After lawmakers were unable to pass it with a majority, Senator Jim Mc Clendon came up with a new bill that shifts the focus from gambling towards the establishment of a statewide lottery. The gambling bill proposed by Marsh received 19 to 13 votes, but it needed at least 21 to pass through. Scofield, the Senate Majority leader, stated that the lottery portion of the bill wasn't an issue, it was the casino part of the bill that became an issue. Which called off the bill to pass.

He recalled the time, before and after the bill was introduced, what overwhelming support the establishment of the lottery had gained against casinos. The proposed bill details a plan to set up a lottery commission that would administer multi-state games like Mega Millions and Powerball in addition to Alabama's state lottery. The bill proposed by McClendon suggested an even split of net revenue between the Education Trust Fund and the General Fund.

Based on the current polling and the conversations the Senator has had with people outside the State House is quite confident that the narrowed down focus on the current bill will soon pave way for the implementation of the Alabama state lottery.