Alabama’s 2024 Gambling Legalization Efforts Fail

Legal sports betting isn’t coming to Alabama in 2024, and neither is a state lottery, commercial casinos, nor online casino gaming.

The state’s legislative session concluded Thursday, and various efforts to expand gambling all fell short in the legislature. There was hope early in Alabama’s session that legislators could support the legalization of sports betting, as House Bill 151 and House Bill 152 passed through the House. Those bills originally would’ve brought sports betting apps to Alabama, in addition to commercial casinos.

In the Senate, the bills were stripped down to focus primarily on lottery legalization.

Even those efforts eventually deteriorated, as some legislators only wanted an expansive gambling package approved. In the end, Alabama residents won’t have access to legal sports betting options or a state lottery in 2024.

It’s possible the topic comes up again during the state’s 2025 legislative session.

No states have legalized sports betting in 2024, although online sports betting in North Carolina went live in March. The Tar Heel State legalized online sports betting in 2023.