If state legislators want to make another attempt at comprehensive gambling, 2025 may be their last chance for the foreseeable future.

1819 News editor-in-chief Jeff Poor recently joined “1819 News: The Podcast” to discuss how all signs point to another gambling push — championed by the likes of Retirement Systems of Alabama’s David Bronner—and what that might look like this time around.

“It’s got to happen early. It’s got to happen first,” Poor said. “And let me explain some things, kind of some moving parts and pieces here. They lost Greg Reed… So, they lost a pro-gambling vote. Now Reed’s replacement is not going to be for gambling, but they still got to get to that three-fifth threshold to get it on the ballot for a constitutional amendment. That’s always been the problem for the pro-gamblers.”

Poor explained that waiting another year to try to pass a gambling package in 2026 would be too close to a new election for many lawmakers to be comfortable with.

“They can’t do it in the fourth year of a quadrennium. That’s the election year. You don’t do big things in an election year. They may upset incumbent’s election cycles. So, it’s not likely it’s going to happen in that fourth year. Beyond the fourth year of the quadrennium, you start all over again. Who knows who’s governor then?”

Poor said that whatever legislation they try to put forth, a “clean” lottery-only bill remains unlikely despite public favor.

“This is the dirty little secret. Clean lottery or lottery or whatever you want to call it, polls really well, it’s very popular, it gets a lot of support,” he said. “People just want a lottery. OK, fine, but you’re never going to get that in the state. Let me explain to you why, just because of the way you had to do a constitutional amendment. You got to have three-fifths of the body, both the House and the Senate, to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot so that the people could have a right to vote on gambling or whatever it is. And the problem is there are a number of Republicans in Alabama who are never ever ever going to vote for gambling in any form. They’re always going to be no.”

He added, “So when a Republican pushes for gambling, what do they have to do? They have to look to the other side of the aisle, and they have to go try to bring in some Democrat votes. When you start doing that, it gets very complicated.”

A comprehensive gambling package dominated last year’s session, so much that some other popular issues went by the wayside. After much debate and negotiation, the bill advanced in the House twice but ultimately failed in the Senate by one vote.

To connect with the story’s author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on X and Facebook.

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.