Plans to push through a lottery bill vote in Alabama are likely to be delayed as further obstacles emerged this week.
As reported by the Montgomery Advertiser, a “dwindling” amount of days in the session has left Rep. Chris Brown doubtful that his lottery-only bill, which was approved by a House committee earlier this month, will be voted on by the legislature.
Speaking after a House Republican Caucus meeting on Tuesday, Brown said: “There’s just a lot out there, and when we’re facing a deadline of six days left, I think we may be running out of time.”
Brown conceded that it is “something that we need to look at doing in another session”, though he stopped short of admitting total defeat.
His lottery plans would ensure most of the proceeds, estimated at between $194m-$285m by the Legislative Services Agency, flow towards post secondary scholarships and debt relief.
Meanwhile, a second scheme, proposed by Senator Greg Albritton, is also awaiting further movement. Albritton’s proposal is a more “comprehensive” approach, consisting of a lottery, five casinos and two satellite casinos.
Alabama citizens have not had the opportunity to vote on the introduction of a lottery since 1999, when the proposal was ultimately rejected by voters despite approval from the legislature.
Currently, Alabama is the only state east of the Mississippi River without a lottery, in part due to the stringent and traditional rules in place.