“Put that other vote in.”: Alabama residents urge lawmakers to pass gambling bill

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY) – A rare occurrence happened Tuesday night among state lawmakers, leading to confusion and another vote necessary before the gambling legislation can pass.

A conference committee, comprised of three senators and three representatives, voted on the compromised versions of HB151 and HB152. This is called a conference committee report.

Conference committee reports just need a majority of votes to be approved, as opposed to a three-fifths percentage, or a minimum of 21 votes.

The compromised bills passed through the House, but after a recess, the Senate voted 20-15 in favor of adopting the report.

After this vote, the Senate voted to carry over HB151, delaying actions as of now. If the bill is to be brought up again, an additional vote must be added to pass, for a total of 21.

The plan was to authorize a state lottery and allow slot machines and games of chance in 10 different spots, including one in Houston County.

Knowing the bill could be just one vote away from making it to a special election vote on August 20, this is the closest Alabamians have come to having a vote on a lottery since 1999.

Many Alabamians are hoping the vote passes, for they are tired of crossing state lines and putting money in other states when it could be assisting Alabama.

“I don’t think it’s nice. We need the help here in Alabama,” said Alveta Mathis, a Dothan native who plays the lottery in Florida. “We’ve got a lot of kids in school where it could help the schools. I think we should get it.”

Even with the lottery being illegal, many convenience stores throughout the state have electronic gambling machines, many resembling slot machines inside of them. Many Alabamians are wondering why those machines are being allowed, but lawmakers cannot come together on a lottery decision.

“They don’t have no lottery or nothing in Alabama, but they want a piece of the pie if you win,” said Anthony Smith, another Dothan native who plays the Florida lottery. “I’ve been coming down for more than 20 years, driving down here four times a week to play my numbers, when I could keep the money in Dothan, Alabama.”

Many amendments have been made to this lottery package, including the exclusion of sports betting and table games, yet there is still some hiccup keeping the bills from passing.

Both Smith and Mathis are urging their state lawmakers to put the vote in the hands of the Alabama people.

“Put that other vote in. Let it come on. Do that. We need it,” said Mathis.

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