Governor Ivey will not call special session to readdress failed gambling bill

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) – Many items will be heading to Governor Kay Ivey’s desk now that the legislative session has ended, with the exception of gambling.

“I cannot remember a session where we did more in more different topics than we did in this session,” Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed said. “It was all for the benefit of the people of Alabama.”

The state senate needed just one more vote to pass the gambling bill but couldn’t get it in time. The topic didn’t even come up for discussion during the final day of the legislature.

“We were so close but yet so far,” Alabama Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton said.

Reed says he thinks the people of Alabama should have the right to vote on whether they want a lottery.

“The process works to where men and women based on different elements and concerns make decisions what they think are best for their districts and then those votes are pooled together. If you have a large enough vote to be able to move something forward, that’s what you do. If you don’t, you did not,” Reed said. “I’ve been in the legislature for 14 years and it’s with us every year. So, is it being discussed? Of course. Is it a topic of significance? Yes.”

Singleton says he’s disappointed the gaming bill didn’t pass.

“I think that we can go to put together a package that could bring people on board and bring that one vote on, I really do. I really feel good about that, now that I understand what happened,” Singleton said. “We just headed down a couple of things and maybe we made some mistakes here and there but you know, hindsight is 20/20 vision.”

CBS 42’s political analyst Steve Flowers says polls show 80% of Alabamians want to be given the opportunity to vote on gaming in the state. Flowers says the senators who voted no on the bill will have to face unhappy constituents when they get home.

“I don’t know how as a legislator you go home and tell your constituents ‘you’re too stupid to know how to vote on a lottery. I’m not going to give you the right to do that.’ That’s a tough vote to defend,” Flowers said. “I don’t care how many times you get clapped on the back in Sunday school, most of the people who go to Sunday school are betting on ball games after they get out of Sunday school.”

Ivey says she will not call a special session to focus on passing the gambling bill.

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