Senate Committee advances gambling bill

On Wednesday, the Alabama Senate Tourism Committee voted to give a favorable report to a constitutional amendment allowing gambling establishments in Greene County to have historical horse racing gambling machines.

Senate Bill 324 (SB324) is sponsored by State Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro).

“This is a constitutional amendment,” Sing. “By rule 50, this has to be approved in both the Local Legislation Committee and the Tourism Committee. This has to do with “Racing and Parimutuel for Greene County.”

“The Greene County Racing Commission asked me to carry this bill,” Singleton said. This will “add in historical horse racing at one or more tracks in the county.”

Greenetrack in Greene County has been accused of illegally operating electronic gambling machines. The track unsuccessfully argued in court the machines were actually electronic charity bingo machines.

“This bill has nothing to do with bingo in the county at all,” Singleton told the committee.

A short public hearing was then held.

Drusilla Jackson said, “I basically am in agreement with Senator Singleton with the bill, but the bill I came to ask you about is with the bill dealing with the midwives. This bill needs to be coming back to the floor. We are a rural county. We do not have a hospital that delivers babies in fifty miles.”

Sen. Randy Price (R-Opelika) said, “That bill has been sent to Health as I understand it.”

Attorney Eric Johnson said, “This bill is a very dangerous bill.”

“It is a  computer machine that will be doing some kind of historical racing,” Johnson said. “He does not have to pick a race. There is no skill involved in that.”

“With this constitutional amendment, Greene County will have unlimited gambling on what they call parimutuel machines.”

Stephanie Holden-Smith is the President of the Alabama Policy Institute.

President Holden-Smith spoke against the bill, “It actually expands the definition of parimutuel betting.”

Singleton said, “We have an attorney general’s opinion that goes back to Attorney General Pryor,”

Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) said, “I am not going to fight or stand in the way, but I have got some statements to make when it gets to the floor.”

The Tourism Committee voted to give the bill a favorable report in a 12 to 0 vote.

Albritton added, “I would sure be nice if we could get that same vote on a much bigger type of gambling bill.”

SB324 could be considered by the full Senate as early as Thursday. Thursday is legislative day 26 of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session.

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