Alabama Sports Betting

Despite all the efforts that have been channeled towards legalizing sports betting in Alabama, it remains illegal to bet on sports in the state of Alabama. Over time, various sports betting bills sponsored by different AL representatives have either been stalled or failed in the Committee.

In 2019, HB 315 was presented before the Committee. The bill, if passed, would have laid the foundation for an Alabama sports betting law. It, however, failed in the Committee. More recently, in 2020, the HB 336 bill was sponsored and presented before the Committee by AL-Representative John W. Rogers. Though this bill is currently being stalled, largely due to the pandemic, it holds promises of a future for Alabama online sports betting and 10% tax revenue. Legalizing sports betting in the state, especially for college football, will contribute generously to the state finances.

While Alabama remains one of the few states in the US without a lottery and commercial casinos in the state, it boasts three tribal casinos. Though the Poarch Band Creek of Indians has a monopoly of these tribal casinos, their recent agreement with legal sports betting operators is a great development for the state. However, critics seem to think that with the recent sports gambling developments in surrounding states, Alabama will, in no time, own a sports betting market.

Online Sports Betting in Alabama

Since the Supreme Court decision that empowered states to make their gambling laws, Alabama is one of the few states in the United States that is yet to succeed with sports gambling laws. The state can hardly boast of a state lottery, commercial casinos, gaming machines, gaming laws, sportsbook, sports betting apps, state gambling laws, an Alabama sports wagering act, or even an Alabama sports wagering commission.

Though Alabama is yet to legalize sports betting, the state still offers its citizens other regulated sports betting options.

In 2016, Attorney General Luther Strange declared Daily Fantasy Sports in Alabama illegal. This declaration consequently drove away big DFS operators like DraftKings. In 2019 however, this decision was reversed to allow Alabamans to participate in Daily Fantasy Sports Contests.

Sportsbook sites are also legally allowed to receive bets from persons within Alabama. Though this privilege is limited to horse racing bets, critics seem to think it’s a step in the right direction towards the legalization of Alabama online sports betting.

Here is a list of betting site that offers the best DFS and horse racing experience:

How Online Sports Betting Works in Alabama

How to bet on Sports?

Gambling on Daily Fantasy Sports is quite easy and profitable. Here the DFS site provides you with a salary cap. All you have to do is select sports (.e.g. College football) and a match. Then you proceed to construct a table of players (.e.g. players from the Crimson Tide) you feel fall under the salary cap you have already chosen.

Once you are done, you can sit back and watch the sports online on any DFS sportsbooks in Alabama. If the players you have selected perform well, you win. One amazing thing about DFS bets is that you can place bets for free or even learn with a demo account. There is also a new model of DFS that allows you to predict the performances of individual players rather than the usual team performance.

Horse racing gambling, on the other hand, is very straightforward. You can either bet on the placing of each horse or the final winner of each tournament. Once you find a bet type that suits you, confirm the amount you intend to wager. Add the runners you intend to gambling on to the bet slip and watch how the match unfolds. Horse racing sportsbooks sites allow you to either bet on live matches. There is the option of a replay for active bettors.

Note that while you can’t bet on Alabama sports, sports fans can bet on Alabama college teams participating in National leagues or college sports. For example, you can bet on the Auburn Tigers or Alabama Crimson Tide in NCAA tours.

What Can You Bet on Right Now in Alabama?

As earlier stated, no Alabama sports betting law has been passed, and no casino has been licensed to operate legally in Alabama. This means that any other sportsbooks site that purports to accept bets from persons in Alabama is deemed illegal. These illegal websites operate offshore and are not licensed to provide residents with a gambling experience legally. Note, however, that off-shore online sportsbooks like Bovada sportsbook are quite legal.

Alabamans, however, have these limited options of legal sports betting:

• Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS):

In 2019, Alabama’s Attorney General Kay Ivey reversed the 2016 ban on DFS. This consequently licensed the operation of DFS brands DraftKings and FanDuel in Alabama.

• Horse Racing:

Though Alabama has no race track that offers live racing, its residents are legally permitted to wager on all types of horse races, even greyhound races with online sportsbooks site.

Alabama Sports Betting Laws

There has never been an Alabama Sports Betting Law. The only thing close to sports betting legislation Alabama has ever had is the 2019 decision that permitted Daily Fantasy Sports sites in Alabama.

There have, however, been several Alabama Sporting betting bills. HB 336 is a 2020 sports betting bill sponsored by AL-Representative John W. Rogers currently being stalled in the Committee, mostly due to the pandemic. Though it seems like this bill will also fail, critics seem to be very hopeful. They seem to think that the recent sports bets development in surrounding states will influence this bill.