09.23.21: Montgomery, Alabama – The Alabama Track Owners Association (ATOA) continues to pursue the goal of passing a comprehensive gaming and lottery bill during this Special Session – currently focused exclusively on prisons and prison reform. Since the media campaign launched at the beginning of September, the citizens of Alabama have made thousands of calls per week to their Alabama State Legislators demanding the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment to approve a comprehensive gaming and lottery plan.
During the Regular Session, the Alabama State Senate passed a comprehensive gaming and lottery bill that would have consolidated, regulated, and taxed an education lottery, sports betting, and casino gaming. Unfortunately, the Alabama State House ran out of time during the Regular Session to complete their work on the Senate approved version of the constitutional amendment and enabling legislation.
The Special Session gives the Alabama State Legislature another opportunity to address this economic development initiative that will create over 10,000 new jobs in the State of Alabama and provide over $700 MM dollars of new tax revenue to fund Alabama priorities including education and trade school scholarships, rural broadband, healthcare, and discretionary funding for counties & municipalities.
Despite the thousands of calls that citizens of Alabama have made over the past few weeks, a comprehensive gaming and lottery bill is not currently on the agenda for this Special Session. In response, the ATOA will launch a new version of the “call your legislator” campaign creative and messaging on Thursday, September 23, 2021. The new commercials will include the following messages:
“On Monday, September 27th, Alabama State legislators will return to Montgomery for a special session on prison reform; and while they could pass a gaming and lottery bill at the same time, there’s no plan to do so. We’ve waited long enough. Alabama has lost enough. It’s time to let the people decide. Call your legislator today and tell them to pass a gaming and lottery bill in this special session; because every day they fail to act, we all lose.”
The ATOA is asking the citizens of Alabama to call their legislators and tell them to pass a comprehensive gaming and lottery bill during the Special Session. The toll-free phone number is 1-855-Gaming-1 (1-855-426-4641).
To view the commercial, please visit www.alabama4gaming.org.
About Alabama Track Owners Association (ATOA):
The ATOA is a non-profit organization with four charter members: Birmingham Race Course, Greenetrack Bingo & Racing, Mobile Greyhound Park, and VictoryLand. The ATOA believes the citizens of Alabama should have the opportunity to vote on a comprehensive gaming and lottery plan that creates, regulates, and taxes an education lottery, sports betting, and casino gaming. The comprehensive gaming and lottery plan, if approved by the voters via constitutional amendment, will provide the State of Alabama with additional tax revenue to fund initiatives that will improve the quality of life for Alabama residents. For more information, please visit www.alabamatrackowners.org
I called the number to leave a message to pass gambling in Alabama. Mail box was full.
I called in favor of an Al. Gaming and Lottery Bill this 2021 Fall Legislature Session and found the mailbox full. Not pleased.
Let’s consider gaming in Alabama as a green thing. I will drive far less if gaming is local. We all know it is not the people who are holding up the gaming law change. It is the lobbying done by current Indian casinos to stop other gaming. Look into the money that is being paid to public officials to stop the gaming laws from being put up for a vote.
I support Gaming Legislation to be presented this 2021 Session for the purpose of allowing a popular vote with regard to a Lottery in Alabama.
Finely no more tips to Florida, it about time ALABAMA!