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Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville says he would not stand in the way of letting Alabama voters decide whether to legalize more gambling, but he wants the governor’s office and lawmakers to agree on a comprehensive plan first. Alabama voters elect their next governor Tuesday.
Tuberville, a US senator, spoke on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” last week. LegalSportsReport reported that he said the issue should go to voters in a referendum.
Tuberville wants one complete plan
“I’m not a gambler, and so either way for me would be fine,” Tuberville said, according to Yellowhammer News. He said he wants to do what Alabamians want, but he will not promote expansion without a full plan from the start. He rejected a piece-by-piece approach.
Tuberville said the governor’s office and the Legislature should work out the details together before any question reaches the ballot. That would settle which forms of gambling become legal, whether a lottery, casinos or both, and how the state would regulate them. He estimated the work would take “a year or so,” according to LegalSportsReport.
Past gambling bills fell short in the Senate
Alabama has no state lottery or legal sports betting. Changing that requires a constitutional amendment, which needs three-fifths support in both chambers before it can go to voters. That means at least 63 votes in the House and 21 in the Senate.
Those thresholds sank the 2024 effort. The House passed a package that included a lottery, casinos and sports betting. The Senate pared it back to a lottery and limited electronic gaming, and the compromise died one vote short of the 21 needed, according to Yellowhammer News.
State Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, introduced another comprehensive bill in 2025. Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, shut it down within days, saying it came too late and lacked the votes. The 2026 session ended without a gambling measure advancing.
Election could shape the next attempt
Tuberville faces Democratic nominee Doug Jones on Tuesday. Jones, a former US senator, has listed establishing a state lottery as a campaign priority, according to WBRC.
Tuberville’s comments show how he would approach the issue, but they do not guarantee a proposal will pass. Supporters would still need enough votes in both chambers to put an amendment on the ballot. Alabama voters last weighed in on a statewide lottery in 1999, when they rejected it. The next regular legislative session begins Feb. 2, 2027, and a year-long timeline would run well past its opening weeks.
