MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Lawmakers are headed to a vote on lottery legislation next week, as supporters aim to change Alabama’s status as one of the few states without the games.
The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on one of two rival lottery proposals introduced this session. Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh said his hope is to get a bill before the full Senate on Thursday. If a bill is approved by both chambers, the proposal would go before Alabama voters.
“I honestly think we are going to pass a bill,” Marsh told The Associated Press when asked to gauge the outlook for the legislation. “I really believe the people of the state want a chance to vote on it.”
The Senate committee, which Marsh chairs, is scheduled to consider a bill by Republican Sen. Greg Albritton of Atmore that would limit a lottery to paper tickets. A rival bill by Republican Sen. Jim McClendon, which would also allow electronic games at state dog tracks, was not listed on the committee agenda.
Albritton said he wants to limit games to a “paper lottery” because he said that is what most people envision when they think of a lottery instead of the video terminal. He said he was cautiously optimistic, but said the bill was not a “slam dunk.”