Alabama

Could gambling money lead to Medicaid expansion in Alabama? – Alabama Reflector

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2024

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Could gambling money lead to Medicaid expansion in Alabama? – Alabama Reflector

Buried in the gambling expansion bill is a provision that might give give Alabama the chance to expand Medicaid.

But no one seems to want to discuss it.

Not Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, who has helped draft the legislation. On his way to the House floor Thursday, Whitt said that providing health care to working adults has been a point of discussion in the past, but “the governor is the only one who could expand Medicaid.”

Not Alabama Arise, which has advocated for Medicaid expansion. The group declined comment on the provision Thursday.

House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, also avoided discussion about the bill. But he was clear when asked if he would support a gambling bill that lacked the provision.

“No,” he said.

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The appearance of Medicaid in the legislation adds an unprecedented opportunity to bring Medicaid expansion to the state, a long-held goal of both Democrats and health care professionals, particularly hospitals that say it’s essential to address a mounting crisis in public health in rural areas.

But it also adds risk to the legislation’s prospects. Some Republicans may balk at supporting a program they have long opposed on ideological grounds. Taking it out could threaten support from Democrats, whose support has been needed to pass prior gambling proposals amid divisions in the House GOP caucus.

The bill would allow — but not require — lawmakers to fund rural health care and qualified health benefit plans for “for adults with income below 138 percent of the federal poverty level and parents or other caretaker relatives of dependent children with income between 14 and 138 percent of the federal poverty level.”

If allocated, the money for expansion would come from a Gaming Trust Fund, where taxes on casino and sports wagering would be held. A 2020 report from a commission convened by Gov. Kay Ivey estimated that fully expanded casinos and sports betting could bring between $310 and $410 million into state coffers.

Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act expands Medicaid services to anyone making up to 138% of the poverty level ($20,783 for an individual; $35,632 for a family of three).

Rep. Sam Jones, D-Mobile, the lone Democrat in a study group charged with introducing a comprehensive gambling bill, said Thursday that they wanted to include health care, including mental health in the distribution of gambling revenue. Legislators, he said, wrote the provision broadly so they “can either have Medicaid expansion or private plans.”

Like Whitt, Jones said Ivey will make the call on expansion. The bill, he said, would give them the option to do it.

“If we’re going to get new money in the state, we want to address some of the issues that we’ve not addressed for some period of time now,” Jones said.

Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee Chair Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, a supporter of a comprehensive approach, has previously said he opposes Medicaid expansion, and said Wednesday after the bill was unveiled that the provision might be in the bill to garner “particular votes.”

Gov. Kay Ivey’s office did not return a request for comment Thursday.

Alabama has so far resisted Medicaid expansion, which has left 219,000 Alabamians in a limbo known as the coverage gap, according to KFF. Those in it make too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid and too little to qualify for subsidized Affordable Care Act plans offered in the marketplace.

House Republicans have expressed support for an Arkansas-type program that would use Medicaid expansion dollars in a public-private partnership.

Alabama House gambling bills include lottery, casinos, sports betting

Previous research indicated that increased economic activity would eventually balance what the state would spend on expansion. According to a PARCA study, expansion would save Alabama an average of $172.4 million in health care costs over six years. That would be more than enough to cover the cost of the program.

The study estimated that spending in Alabama would go up by an average of $225 million a year over current Medicaid costs, but the state would also average nearly $400 million in savings over those same six years each year. Additionally, expansion would create an average of about 20,000 new jobs per year over the next six years and have an estimated average economic impact of nearly $2 billion per year over the next six years.

Danne Howard, deputy director of the Alabama Hospital Association, said in a phone interview Thursday that they support the wording in the bill. She said that according to their projections, closing the coverage gap would need funding from the state for at least 10 years.

“There’s no cost at stake, but who knows what things might look like 10 years from now or later. That additional revenue may be needed. This is an opportunity, or this is language, that would allow for it in future years, if it’s needed — but not mandated it if it’s not,” she said.

The Alabama Hospital Association plans to meet with staff from the governor’s office next week to discuss what they describe as a plan to close the coverage gap.

“It’s never a bad idea to have the possibility of a revenue stream if it’s needed years out. That is insurance,” she said.

Sports betting industry veteran David Vinturella, an instructor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas College of Education’s sport management program, said in an interview Thursday that revenues from both casinos and sports betting have been trending upward.

Nevada, he said, just broke a record of the most money wagered in casinos in the state, and it’s gone up every year before that, Vinturella said. Revenue for casinos were up 9% in December compared to December 2022.

“The revenue in the casinos like here in Nevada — it goes up every year, because they’re shifting the odds, they’re changing the way some of the games are played,” he said.

In Ohio, Vinturella said, over $1 billion dollars was bet in the first month of legal sports betting in the state, with a tax rate of 10%. Because of that success, the state increased the tax rate to 20%.

“They were so successful in that first month that the state of Ohio went back and passed legislation to double their tax rate to 20%, effective July 1, so it was such a huge success in the state of Ohio,” he said.

House Ways and Means committee Chair Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, said Thursday that the provision is just part of “categories” the Legislature “could” fund.

“It’s just identifying some important categories that we may need to look at,” he said.

While he did not say where he leaned on the bill, he supports the money going to the General Fund to allow the Ways and Means committee to make those decisions on a year to year basis, “because our priorities may change,” he said.

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Alabama

How to watch Alabama Crimson Tide: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Dec. 17

Published

6 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

How to watch Alabama Crimson Tide: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Dec. 17

The South Florida Bulls and Labaron Philon will duke it out when the Bulls (6-4) play the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-3) at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET.

See more info below, including how to watch this game on SEC Network+.

To prepare for this matchup, here’s everything you need to get ready for Wednesday’s college hoops action.

Alabama vs. South Florida: How to watch on TV or live stream

Game day: Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Game time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Arena: Coleman Coliseum
TV Channel: SEC Network+
Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)

Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Alabama vs. South Florida stats and trends

Alabama has a top-25 offense this year, ranking eighth-best in college basketball with 93.1 points per game. On defense, it ranks 326th with 80.9 points allowed per contest.
With 38.2 rebounds per game, the Crimson Tide are 27th in the nation. They give up 35.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks 333rd in college basketball.
So far this season, Alabama ranks 43rd in college basketball in assists, putting up 17.6 per game.
The Crimson Tide rank 79th in the country with 10.3 turnovers per game this season. Meanwhile, they rank 322nd with 9.9 forced turnovers per contest.
Alabama ranks fourth-best in college basketball by draining 12.5 treys per game. In terms of three-point percentage, it ranks 137th in college basketball at 34.9%.
The Crimson Tide are ceding 7.7 treys per game (189th-ranked in college basketball). They are allowing opponents to shoot 31.4% (113th-ranked) from downtown.
Of the shots attempted by Alabama in 2025-26, 46.3% of them have been two-pointers (60.7% of the team’s made baskets) and 53.7% have been from beyond the arc (39.3%).

Alabama vs. South Florida Odds and Spread

Spread Favorite: Crimson Tide (-14.5)
Moneyline: Alabama (-1250), South Florida (+765)
Total: 182.5 points

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 3:07 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.

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Alabama

Alabama’s Ty Simpson Could Rock Tuscaloosa With Jarring Decision

Published

18 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Alabama’s Ty Simpson Could Rock Tuscaloosa With Jarring Decision

Earlier in the season, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson appeared to be a shoo-in to enter the NFL Draft. In fact, some even felt he could be the first signal-caller off the board.

But circumstances have changed.

Simpson had a tumultuous end to the regular season and put forth a miserable performance against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, completing just 48.7 percent of his passes in a blowout loss.

Could Simpson’s rough stretch ultimately cause him to stay in school for another year, and if he does, is it possible he could play somewhere other than Tuscaloosa?

The idea of Simpson foregoing the draft and then entering the transfer portal has been gaining steam. In fact, sources have told Rob Gregson of A to Z Sports that it’s a real possibility.

“If Alabama loses Round 1 (of the CFP) and Kalen DeBoer stays, you have to assume it’s Keelon Russell’s job,” the source told Gregson. “Ty has lost the luster that made him a first-round pick, and he would probably return. He would immediately become the top name in the portal.”

This would be quite a turn of events for Simpson and would be somewhat similar to the move Carson Beck made last year, when he transferred from Georgia to Miami.

Of course, the chances of this happening still seem rather slim. This a rather thin quarterback draft class, with only Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore truly challenging Simpson. Ergo, Simpson could still be a first-round pick in spite of his recent struggles.

Plus, a strong performance in the CFP could — and almost certainly would — completely alter the trajectory of Simpson and would place him back on a track as a top prospect in the eyes of most.

The 22-year-old has thrown for 3,268 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 64.3 percent of his passes in 2025. Pretty solid numbers.

Simpson definitely has good NFL traits, too. He has a strong arm, and while he has only rushed for 98 yards this year, he is athletic enough to have maneuverability and escapability in the pocket. He can also make plays with his legs.

And while he doesn’t have elite size, he isn’t small, either, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 208 pounds.

The ability is definitely there for Simpson, so it just seems hard to imagine that he would kick the NFL Draft can down the road and return to school … and transfer in the process.

Simpson surely understands how complicated of a process that would be and how it could actually damage his future in the pros.

The fact that this is a discussion, however, is beyond interesting, especially with Alabama preparing to face Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP this Friday.

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Alabama

INTERCEPT Task Force to open first Alabama location

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

INTERCEPT Task Force to open first Alabama location

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Operation Light Shine is opening its first INTERCEPT Task Force in Alabama in 2026.

Operation Light Shine is a nonprofit that works to end child exploitation and human trafficking across the country. The nonprofit has five INTERCEPT Task Force locations in Tennessee, Florida, Virginia and Maryland.

The Tuscaloosa location is set to open around February, said Cpt. Phil Simpson of the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force.

“This is a huge deal for us,” Simpson said. “We’ll be adding people, equipment and capabilities that we don’t currently have.”

The West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force includes agents from the Northport, Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama police departments as well as the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The task force receives about 30 tips a week ranging from sextortion to child sexual abuse cases.

“It’s a huge growing trend, and it’s to the point where we needed to add processing capabilities that streamline the process of handling each case, so we can take on more cases,” Simpson said.

The partnership between the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force and Operation Light Shine will primarily target Tuscaloosa, but the INTERCEPT Task force will have jurisdiction across the state.

“That’s what’s great about the federal partnerships,” said Operation Light Shine Executive Director Bryan Weight. “We’re able to be nimble and go into other counties and areas, arrest as many offenders as we can and give them maximum sentences.”

The fastest growing major crime in the world is online child sexual abuse, according to the nonprofit.

“It’s not what it used to be. It’s not a bad guy in a white van,” Weight said. “Right now, that van is parked inside your home, in your kid’s room, holding it in their hand. It’s your kid’s cellphone.”

One reason is because of social media and that nearly everyone of all ages has an electronic device, Weight said. While some online platforms have online encryptions in place to protect their users, it’s protecting the person who is sexually exploiting children, Weight said.

In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over 19 million reports about child sexual abuse material.

“This is an epidemic we’re dealing with,” Weight said.

One reason is because of social media and that nearly everyone of all ages has an electronic device, Weight said. Operation Light Shine’s goal is to give parents and the community the tools they need to properly educate their children, so these crimes do not happen in the first place.

When these crimes happen, law enforcement rely on tips from victims, family, friends and Internet Crimes Against Children. Once a tip or report is made, just like with any crime, officers need enough evidence to obtain a search warrant.

When a warrant is executed, electronics are seized and everything on a device: photos, videos, text messages and the metadata is entered into evidence.

“They can get up to one terabyte, which some people might go ‘Oh, that’s not a lot,’” Weight said. “But if you were to print that, that’s over a 500 million pieces of paper. That’s what we’re seizing every day.”

The time it takes to go through all that information is tedious, Simpson said, and given the nature of these types of cases, it takes a toll on agents.

“That stuff is horrendous, and it stays with them,” Simpson said.

Operation Light Shine has technology that shows investigators when content has already been flagged for CSAM. The West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force does not have that technology, which means agents must verify it firsthand.

“It will protect our investigators from having to view as much CSAM as they do,” Simpson said. Thus, the INTERCEPT Task force will also play a positive role in “looking at the mental wellbeing of our investigators and their long-term mental health,” Simpson said.

Operation Light Shine obtains the resources, training, and funding to support local law enforcement and set up INTERCEPT Task Forces because of the donations they receive.

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