The Alabama Legislature met for two days this week for an organizational session in which they elected leadership, appointed committee chairs, and approved updates to the rules for the next four years. The regular session begins on March 7, 2023. One issue that could come up is gambling.
The Alabama Supreme Court has emphatically ruled that bingo is a game played on paper cards and that electronic bingo is illegal under the Alabama Constitution of 1901. The court has ordered three electronic bingo facilities in Macon and Lowndes County close. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall appealed to the Supreme Court after the lower court denied the AG’s motion.
“What he and what the Supreme Court is doing is disenfranchising the voters of those counties,” Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton told Alabama Today.
Singleton contends that when voters passed county-specific constitutional amendments allowing bingo to be played there, they knew that bingo meant electronic bingo and that the court is interpreting the law wrong.
“To say that electronic bingo does not mean bingo is just wrong,” Singleton said.
Alabama Today asked if Victoryland, Whitehall, and Greenetrack are closed by the time the session begins, would that encourage the Legislature to pass a gambling bill legalizing some mix of the currently operating casinos.
“I would think it would, but I just don’t know,” Singleton said.
“I don’t know,” said State Rep. Neil Rafferty when asked if the Legislature would address gambling. “It’s going to take a lot of collective effort to get anything done like that.”
Senate Republicans hold a 27 to 8 supermajority in the Alabama Senate, and House Republicans hold a 77 to 28 supermajority in the Alabama House of Representatives, so any gambling would have to have considerable Republican support.
“Some people might think there shouldn’t be any gambling in Alabama,” Singleton said.
For a gambling constitutional amendment to pass, it would need at least a three-fifths supermajority in favor to pass in both Houses of the Legislature because it takes a constitutional amendment.
“It will come up,” Rafferty predicted for the regular session but did not know whether it could possibly pass.
Singleton was asked about the top goals of the legislative minority.
“Medicaid, Medicaid, Medicaid,” Singleton stated.
Singleton acknowledged that Republicans were reluctant to take up the issue last year.
“I think that was before the election,” Singleton said.
Singleton expressed optimism that a deal on Medicaid expansion can be negotiated with Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and the Republican leadership.
Singleton was asked about ending the sales tax on groceries.
“What’s going to replace it?” Singleton said, referring to the $500 million in lost revenues.
“The federal government has put $60 billion into this state,” Singleton said. “There could be some lean times when that is no longer there. We need to be building up some reserves.”
Singleton said that he believes that the Legislature could pass his needle exchange bill to provide free intravenous needles to IV drug users.
“I believe the timing is right, right now,” Singleton said. “We talk about fentanyl and all the different drugs out there. This is the time to do with it to be able to aid and help with our drug problem.”
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