��������

In the last few days of the legislative session, a push to pass gambling laws from one senator failed to gain support. Now, he said the idea could be dead for 20 years.�������� 13 spoke to State Senator Greg Albritton who said that timeline might be a bit dramatic. He feels gambling bills have been a topic of discussion in the Alabama legislature for the past 20 to 25 years, and a move still hasn’t been made yet.Albritton said he sent out multiple drafts of the bill since February hoping to get support by changing the wording, but nothing ever worked. Albritton said he needed 21 senators to support him on the bill, but he just couldn’t get anyone to back him.The state senator said he doesn’t see this bill making a comeback for a long time, especially with next year being an election year.“You’re looking at a good 3 to 4 years at best, but I don’t see anything much changing between here and there. for a long time.�� Albritton said. ��20 years may be an extended time, but I don’t think it’s completely out of the ballpark.”Birmingham residents feel hearing lawmakers were not willing to roll the dice is frustrating.“You can use it for infrastructure,�� Darion Smith, who supports legal gambling, said. “You can use it to reconstruct the roads. I think it’s money that can be used by the state. I feel like half the time Alabama as the state is kind of broke anyway, right?”Albritton, Smith and Roderica Lacy know people will gamble regardless.“If I’m going to Atlanta, if I’m traveling, I will stop at exit 5, exit 6,�� Lacy said. “Not a gambler though, but I will stop and get me like $20. Just to scratch off just to play.”Albritton’s bill would’ve established a lottery in the state and would also make gambling legal. Right now, there are six sites across the state which allow gambling of some type, but the bill would give every site permission to have the same type of gambling whether that be electronic or paper bingo and historical horse racing.