Mervin Hanawalt, of DeKalb Co., Ala., chooses his numbers on a Powerball entry form at the Smart Mart on Highway 301 in Dade County, Ga., just north of the state line on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, atop Sand Mountain near Trenton.MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Some Republican lawmakers say it’s time Alabama considered a state lottery.
Sen. Jim McClendon, R-Springville and Rep. Alan Harper, R-Northport, on Tuesday introduced a lottery bill for the upcoming session. The bill, if approved by lawmakers, would put the question before the voters in November, leaving legislators to decide crucial details in 2017, such as where the proceeds will go and how the lottery would be run
“It is a simple straightforward vote of the people that says, “Would you like to have a state lottery, yes or no?” McClendon said.
The Republican legislator said his constituents “constantly” tell him they want to see a lottery in Alabama, especially with the recent mania over the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot that’s luring people across state lines to buy tickets.
“Everywhere I go people are saying, ‘Yeah we’ve got our tickets or we are on the way’ …. They are driving to surrounding states. They are leaving our money and they are coming back and they cannot understand why Alabama doesn’t offer what 44 other states in America offer and that is an opportunity to have their own lottery.”