As Alabama tries to legalize sports betting, advocates point to neighboring states’ success

Musto is an avid Detroit Lions fan and even went to the brewery wearing his team’s ball cap and jersey, despite the Lions not making the big game. But on this day, he’s a Chiefs fan for one reason — money.

“I put money on the Chiefs, ” said Musto, who divulged that he made his wagers on the game via an online betting app and with a bookie. “I think that’s what it should be all about. It’s… being able to make an extra source of income, and making yourself more excited about watching the game.”

Sports betting in Alabama is illegal, but Musto’s gamble shows that the law hasn’t stopped people from trying to do it.

Last year, the online gambling company FanDuel blocked at least two million attempts by Alabamians to place a bet online, according to Christian Genetsky, the company’s president and a Birmingham native. When those bets were blocked, Genetsky said people likely drove to neighboring states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida or Tennessee where sports betting is already legal, or switched to an illegal, offshore site.

Nick Coleman, who was also watching the Super Bowl at Ghost Train, believes it’s time for Alabama to catch up with other states in legalized sports betting. But regardless of its legality, he — and other Alabamians — will probably do it, anyway. “If that’s what I want to do, let me do it,” Coleman said. “At least put the power in the hands of the people in the state to choose if that’s what they want to do.”

Genetsky’s comments came during a public hearing for two bills proposed by the Alabama House of Representatives during the current legislative session — HB 151 and HB 152 — that propose a state constitutional amendment and companion bill to legalize sports betting, the lottery and casinos in Alabama.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced her support for the gaming bills in her State of the State address in February, calling them “good for Alabama.”

“It will crack down on illegal gambling and it will responsibly regulate limited forms of legal gaming, including a state-wide lottery,” Ivey said.

Those bills passed through the House in February, but have gone through some changes in the Senate.

HB 151 and HB 152 made it through the House intact but were slimmed down by the Senate — most notably removing the legalization of sports betting and casinos. It’s still not clear if the bills will make it to the finish line, even with the governor’s support, but if they do, it would put the issues in front of voters in a special election on Sept. 10.

The state has attempted to legalize sports betting in the 2019, 2021, and 2022 legislative sessions. Supporters of the bill say that the state is leaving millions of dollars in tax revenue on the table when compared to what sports betting has done for Mississippi and Louisiana — as Genetsky mentioned.

Mississippi allows sports betting in its casinos, but lawmakers are trying to approve mobile sports betting during its legislative session. The state’s House of Representatives passed a measure to allow remote sports betting in early February, and state Senate leaders have until April 2 to pass the measure out of a committee.