During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," State Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre) discussed his position on establishing a lottery in Alabama.
According to the lawmaker, while Alabamians deserve to have a say on the issue, it almost certainly won't happen in the current legislative session.
"Don't think it's coming this year," Jones said. "When I first committed to running, I said, "Hey, my position is, let the people vote. If there's an opportunity for them to vote on the lottery, I'm going to let them vote. I'm not going to be picky. I'm going to work to get the best bill we can get to go to the floor, but at the end of the day, I've always said people deserve an up or down vote."
Jones noted a recent shift in public perception among those in the eastern portion of the state regarding a lottery in Alabama.
"This is a really interesting issue, being from the part of the state that I am, right near the Georgia line. We live five miles from the line. Folks growing up poor, religious conservatives, they were always anti-lottery, anti-gaming," Jones stated. "The money going across the state lines, more than anything, has moved the needle in East Alabama, in my district, because even people who would be morally opposed, or people who would never gamble themselves. They think, "Hey, we're losing money to other states. We need to keep that here."
"People are going to spend it and go sports betting in the Caymans or somewhere. You know, that you can do that right now on your phone, and the state of Alabama gets $0, and you're kind of dealing with sketchy people. They're not regulated. So that's where I've always come down on those issues. Regulate it and tax it, and let's get the revenue. Let's not send it over to Georgia or down to the Caymans," he added.
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