Alabama’s greyhound tracks have joined the movement supporting the legalization of casinos, lottery games, and sports betting in the state of Alabama.

Set up by Mobile Greyhound Park, VictoryLand, Birmingham Race Course, and Greenetrack Bingo & Racing, the Alabama Track Owners Association (ATOA) has urged people in the state of Alabama to support the legalization of casinos, lottery games, and sports betting by calling their legislators and supporting the potential constitutional amendment to allow expansion of the gambling industry.

Alabama Track Owners Association (ATOA) hits the streets

Alabama Track Owners Association (ATOA) has experienced a good year because of progress on the casino bill and in a press release on September 1, the Alabama Track Owners Association (ATOA) stated that the state of Alabama is losing in gaming and lottery revenue to the tune of millions of dollars (approximately $700 million) to the state of Mississippi. Portions of the potential revenue to the state of Alabama are lost to Georgia, Tennessee, Florida. This loss of revenue has been a problem for a few years and the state of Alabama has still not drafted any plan for gaming and lottery and has yet to allow residents in the state of Alabama to vote on the amendment.

The press release went on to say that if the plans on lottery and gaming and voted upon and approved, hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to be earned in tax revenue (approximately $500 million to $700 million) that can be used trade school and college scholarships, broadband, healthcare, new job, workforce opportunities, and new business opportunities.

State Legislature Session

Gov. Don Siegelman’s lottery plan in 1999 was not approved by the public and since then, voters have not voted on any plan that legalizes gambling, lottery sports betting. One constitutional amendment that could have been the start of legislation on casino gambling, lottery, and sports betting died in May 2021 because the state legislature adjourned without taking the amendment into consideration, and gambling expansion cannot take place in the state of Alabama unless the Legislature approve the constitutional amendment. The next session of the Alabama legislature is slated for January 11, 2022 and that is a long way off.