Posted on: February 5, 2026, 09:09h.
Last updated on: February 5, 2026, 09:09h.
- Legislation to ask Alabama voters to allow lawmakers to legalize gambling has been introduced
- The measure needs a three-fifths majority support in the Alabama Legislature
- The gaming bill faces long odds
A new year means a new push to bring certain forms of gambling to Alabama. As in the previous legislative sessions, measures to authorize casinos, a lottery, sports betting, and other forms of gambling face long odds in the Alabama State House in Montgomery.
This week, state Sen. Merika Coleman (D-Pleasant Grove) filed a measure that seeks to put the matter before voters. But before voters would have a say on whether they support giving the Alabama Legislature powers to authorize new forms of gambling, Coleman’s Senate Bill 257 would need to field a three-fifths majority support in the Senate and House of Representatives.
With Republicans maintaining a 27-8 majority in the Senate and 76-29 control in the House, the odds seemingly aren’t good for the gaming bill. Coleman says Alabama residents want to weigh in, and politicians shouldn’t stand in their way.
This is simply allowing people to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ We have some major deficits, and it’s going to get worse. We have a duty to find solutions. I’ve seen the polling, and the people of my district want an opportunity to vote on whether we have gambling or a lottery. That’s what this bill does. It gives them that opportunity,” Coleman said.
Presently, Alabama has only charitable gaming for nonprofits and fraternal organizations, and the state’s lone federally recognized tribe, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, operates Class I and II gaming on its federal lands.
Alabama Gaming Bill Details
Instead of crafting legislation to specifically legalize a type of gambling, Coleman’s SB257 is a broader type of measure that simply asks voters to give lawmakers the authority to determine what kinds of gambling are permitted.
The Alabama Constitution currently bars the Legislature from authorizing a lottery or any other form of gambling. SB257 would amend the state’s legal framework to provide the Legislature with such authority.
It would additionally allow the elected officials to negotiate a Class III gaming compact with the Poarch Creek Indians to provide them with Las Vegas-style slot machines and live dealer table game privileges. As Class I and II tribal casinos, the Wind Creek properties can only offer electronic bingo-based gaming machines.
Recent polling has suggested that a majority of voters support some form of legal gambling, whether it be a state-run lottery, commercial casinos, or sports betting. Support surged to around 80% when asked if gambling should be left up to voters.
Religious Opposition
Like so many other southern states, Alabama is in the Bible Belt, and the many Republicans occupying seats in Montgomery are unwilling to get on board with gambling. Pew Research ranks Alabama as the eighth most religious state, with more than one in two adults saying religion is “very important in their lives.”
Not all Republicans are opposed to gaming.
A year ago, Alabama Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) authored a gambling bill. The measure was quickly defeated, with Albritton conceding that the Cotton State’s gambling prohibition would likely continue for decades.
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