Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Smiths Station, discusses a comprehensive gambling bill on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 15, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House debated a comprehensive lottery and casino package on Thursday. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed an ambitious legislative package that — if approved by the Senate and state voters — could create a state-regulated gambling industry for the first time in history.
HB 151 , sponsored by Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Smiths Station, a constitutional amendment authorizing a state lottery, limited casino gambling and sports betting in the state, passed the House 70-32.
HB 152 , also sponsored by Blackshear, would set tax rates on legal gambling and provide for distribution of revenues and enforcement policies. It passed 67-31.
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“Finally, at least from the House perspective, we heard you loud and clear from the polling, and we’re giving the citizens the right to decide what they want in the state as it relates to gaming,” Blackshear said to reporters after the bills’ passage.