To date, Alabam is one of the many states that has not yet legalized sports betting in any way, shape or form – be it online sports betting, mobile sports betting or even land-based sports bets. However, residents of Alabama will not be surprised with this, given that Alabama is well known for its strict stance against gambling of any sort – especially sports betting.
People living in Alabama can access no horse racing tracks, no daily fantasy sports and there isn’t even a state lottery. There is just one Native American tribe in the state (the Poach Band of Creek) that has been granted permission to operate a casino in Alabama state.
Will Sports Betting in Alabama Be Legalized?
Anyone familiar and keeping up to date on sports betting in Alabama will be more than clear about the Alabama Criminal Code around gambling for profit, lotteries and bookmaking. It is abundantly clear that Alabama has well and truly outlawed sports betting and is no closer to legalizing it.
In Alabama, there is just one single elected official who is in support of legal Alabama sports betting – Jim Ziegler. He believes that legal sports betting in Alabama will benefit the state by bringing on lots of revenue on gambling taxes.
So how would legal sports betting benefit the state of Alabama? Well, first of all, legalizing online sports betting would create the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission – which would bring tax gross revenue at 10%. There would then be seven licenses made available to any pari-mutuel wagering facility. This would allow for mobile betting within the state of Alabama.
Since April 2020, Alabama lawmakers have tried no less than four times to pass sports betting laws. However, they have failed to even make it far enough to take a vote on. In February that year, HB301 was introduced and it is currently on the committee. However, because of the recent pandemic, it is unlikely to be made a priority – so we don’t think that any consideration to pass sports betting legislation will be even looked at until life – and sports is completely back to normal.
Right now, the priority for most lawmakers and politicians in Alabama are more focused on the industrial growth of the state as opposed to legalizing gambling in the state to increase incoming revenue. This means, however, that sports bettors in Alabama are putting their money towards the financial growth of other states, where sports betting has been legalized.
Alabama has just one hope for the legalization of sports betting – and that relies on its neighbor state, Mississippi. In the state of Mississippi, sports betting has been legal for more than one year – and there is no doubt that the bigwigs in Alabama will be looking to see the ramifications in Mississippi before deciding whether or not they should move forward with whether or not they should move towards legal sports betting.
Timeline of Alabama Sports Betting
Currently, despite numerous attempts made in the past, Alabama hasn’t been able to pass any regulations regarding sports betting, so there is no real timeline yet. However, anyone wanting to bet in Alabama can make use of offshore sportsbooks.
The Failure of Sports Bills
In 2018, the federal law was amended to allow states to legalize sports betting. Every year since then, there has been someone in the Alabama legislature that has introduced a bill to this effect. However, on every occasion, they have failed to make any impact
In every year since 2018, when federal law changed to allow states to legalize sports betting, someone in the Alabama legislature has introduced a bill to do just that. However, none of them has gained much footing.
In both 2019 and 2020, HB 315 and HB 336 would have legalized Alabama sports betting. Both of these bills had a similar structure but, it was no surprise when both petered out in committee.
Then, in 2021, the bill was an entire collection. This meant that not only would sports betting be introduced, but it would have also introduced established casinos and the Alabama State Lottery. This was approved by the Senate but wasn’t given the time of day by the house. Alabama bettors will need to continue to be patient
The 2021 bill was a whole collection, an omnibus. In addition to sports betting, it would have launched an Alabama State Lottery and established casinos. The Senate approved it, but the house did not even take it up. Bettors in Alabama will have to wait until things change a bit. – and wait until the mood changes.
Is There Any Legal Sports Betting in Alabama?
No. There are absolutely no legal sports betting venues in the state – because Alabama laws forbid it. However, if you are a fan of sports betting in Alabama, then there are options available to you… in the shape of offshore sportsbooks. This means that a bettor can enjoy betting on sports – whether it’s NFL betting, NBA betting or other major league sports, from the comfort of their own houses- without having to journey out of state to Alabama.
Although Alabama sports bettors won’t be able to visit a sportsbook venue in the state, they can still enjoy everything that an offshore online sportsbook has to offer, without breaking the law – and there are certainly some good, safe and secure options out there.
Online sports betting sites have been used for many years now, so there is no need to worry too much about the security or legitimacy of the popular sites, so as long as you make sure the online sportsbooks you are planning to use is regulated and recommended, you should be perfectly safe.
Alabama Sports Teams to Bet On
If you are fans of betting on the NFL, betting on the NBA or other major league sports in Alabama, then you will be well aware that there aren’t any local teams to support. However, if the offshore online gambling site offers, NCAAF football or NCAA Basketball bets, then there are some great Alabama teams to bet on, including Alabama State Hornets, Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers – that are all very famous and popular in Alabama.
Because Alabama has such a dedicated and passionate fanbase at collegiate level, it comes as no surprise that not only is sports betting illegal in the state, but betting on college sports is particularly frowned upon by legislators. So, it is unlikely that fans won’t be able to bet on their favorite home town teams any time soon.
How to Choose Your Online Sportsbooks
If you are new to sports betting, then it is vital that you find a safe and highly regarded online sportsbook. That is why we want to help you to find the sportsbook that best suits your online betting needs.
Reliable Sports Betting Site
You need to make sure that any online sports betting site you opt for is completely vetted, thoroughly safe and secure, receiving honest and fair reviews so that you know exactly what to expect from your betting site.
Generous and Varied Odds
Most importantly, you need to choose online sportsbooks that offer the odds and betting lines that you are looking for. So, if you are looking for Alabama Crimson Tide basketball wagers, you should find the betting site with the best juice – as not every online sports betting site offer great odds. You need to compare different sites to make sure you can find the best NCAA basketball odds for your team.
Other things to look out for are generous promotions, an excellent user experience, a user-friendly app and more.
AL Sports Betting: Conclusion
Legal Alabama sports betting doesn’t look as though it will be on the cards any time soon. So, will they ever make sports betting legal? This probably depends on a number of things – mainly on how it pans out in Mississippi. However, the stance remains strict. Until attitudes change, residents of Alabama will need to rely on offshore online sports betting sites.
