"Alabama Lottery Bill Stalls Over Funding Dispute, Bars Sports Betting"

The Alabama Senate's debate over a lottery and state-regulated gambling at seven facilities stalled due to a dispute over funding for prison construction. The bill was changed to prevent initial use of net revenues for prisons, leading to a 24-7 vote for an amendment to split revenues between education, general government, and roads and bridges from the outset. Sen. Greg Albritton opposed the amendment, emphasizing the need to find a way to pay for a new prison in his district. The bill estimates a lottery would raise net state revenue of $305 million to $379 million a year, and the revenue from the gambling facilities would raise net revenue of $99 million to $132 million.