U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), the frontrunner for the Republican nod for governor, says he is in favor of a referendum that would allow voters to determine what, if any, gambling should be legal in Alabama.
During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Tuberville expressed his support for allowing a vote on a constitutional amendment for a lottery.
He said it was the role of the governor to lay out the pros and cons for voters, then allow them to decide if that would include just a lottery or any other kind of betting.
"Well, I mean, again, I hear people say they want a lottery, they want both a lottery and gambling, they want a sports book, they want horse racing, dog racing, all this," he said. "Again, it all goes back to one thing: do your study, do your due diligence, sell the good on both sides to the people in Alabama. I think that's what a governor should do. Hey, this is what's going to be good about it. This is what's going to be bad about it. And then let people vote on it, give them an opportunity."
"And again, I think that would satisfy a lot of people over the years. I know, living in the state for over 25 years, I hear more about that than anything. But one thing you have to go back and look at now — iPhones and computers have really taken a lot of money away from a lot of these states that have gambling because it's legal to gamble now. It's legal to gamble online and using your phone and making these bets for, I don't know, I can't even think of some of these names that have these online betting services. But it's, you know, the big tech has caused things to really excel, and if you want to find a way to gamble, you can pretty much do it."
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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