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Lawmakers hear pros, cons on plan for lottery, casinos

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Lawmakers hear pros, cons on plan for lottery, casinos


A new plan to let Alabama voters decide whether to approve a lottery, casinos, and legal sports betting was up for discussion for the first time Tuesday afternoon in the Legislature and drew a crowd that packed the largest committee room in the State House.

The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee held a one-hour public hearing on the two-bill package introduced by Republican lawmakers who spent more than a year preparing the legislation.

About 20 people spoke, including some who supported the legislation, some opposed, and some there to advocate for specific uses of the state revenue that would result if the legislation is approved.

Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Madison, chairman of the committee and one of the sponsors of the legislation, said the committee would vote on the bills Wednesday. Committee approval would put the legislation in position for a vote on the House floor as early as Thursday.

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It would take 63 votes, three-fifths of the House, to approve the proposed constitutional amendment and send it to the Senate. No lottery bill has cleared the Legislature and reached the voters since 1999.

State Treasurer Young Boozer spoke in favor of the legislation. Boozer served on a gambling policy study group appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey that issued a report in December 2020. Boozer said the legislation appeared to be based on that report.

“My summary of the study of this bill is, gaming will work in Alabama, and it will be worth it,” Boozer said.

The fiscal note for the bill prepared by the Legislative Services Agency estimated the state would receive net revenues of $935 million to $1.2 billion from the lottery, casinos, and sports betting.

Boozer said it would take a couple of years to reach those numbers.

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“Alabama is late to the game,” Boozer said. “Lotteries are offered by 45 states. Casinos with Class III gaming (slots and table games) are operating in 44 states. And sports betting is legal now in 38 states.”

Ivey has also expressed her support for the legislation.

Other speakers said the legislation could fund important programs in Alabama, like mental health care, veterans services, scholarships to community colleges and technical colleges, and support for a trust fund for retired education employees.

But opponents of the legislation said gambling revenues were a poor way to fund those services, partly because of the problems caused by gambling addictions. Two men told the committee about how their addictions and the disruptions in caused in their lives.

“We can all agree that we’re in a mental health crisis in the state of Alabama,” said Stephanie Smith, president and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute. “Let’s not add to it with something that in every state where it has been studied has actually increased the mental problems in the state.”

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Vestavia Hills City Council member Kimberly Cooke, noting that one of the casinos would be in Birmingham, said it would hurt her city.

“Gambling, drugs and prostitution thrive in casinos,” Cooke said. “As addictive as cocaine, gambling drives people to anxiety, depression, and suicide.”

Cooke said the ability to bet on sporting events on cellphones would pose a new risk for young people.

“Sports betting apps advertise for kids and quite literally steal their lunch money,” Cooke said. “This is an epidemic in our country.”

Cooke urged the committee to reject the legislation.

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“Parents in Vestavia are having a hard enough time raising their children. Please, don’t make it harder,” she said.

Christian Genetsky, president of the online gambling company FanDuel, spoke in favor of the legislation and said FanDuel is diligent about blocking underage players. Genetsky, a Birmingham native, said his company has about 12 million users in the states that have legalized sports betting. He said there is strong demand in Alabama.

“Last year there were two million attempts to place a legal bet here in Alabama, and every single one of those was blocked,” Genetsky said, “And when those users were blocked from betting the legal market, they drove to Tennessee, Mississippi, or Florida, where sports betting is legal, or they simply switched to one of the illegal, offshore sites that’s already available.

“What’s different about legal operators like FanDuel and illegal offshore sites? Most critically, we are committed to ensuring the integrity of sports, that all of our customers play responsibly, and that no one underage can access our platform.”

The bill would create the Alabama Gaming Commission, which would oversee a new state agency that would include a law enforcement division. The commission could license up to seven casinos that could offer the full range of Las Vegas-style games, such as slot machines, blackjack, craps and roulette.

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Six of the casinos would be designated for Birmingham, Mobile County, Macon County, Greene County, Lowndes County, and Houston County. The legislation says there would be an open bid process for those licenses, with a minimum license fee of $5 million and minimum investment of $35 million.

The seventh casino would be contingent on the governor negotiating a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. A compact would allow the Poarch Creeks to have a casino in northeast Alabama in addition to those now operating on tribal lands in Atmore, Wetumpka, and Montgomery.

Robert McGhee, vice chair of the Poarch Band, signed up to speak as an opponent of the legislation. McGhee said people should be able to vote on gambling in Alabama and said the tribe is interested in negotiating a compact.

But McGhee said the tribe had concerns about how the legislation was written. One concern, McGhee said, was that it says the governor “may” enter a compact with the tribe, leaving that uncertain, and did not provide any timeframe for that to happen.

McGhee said he was also concerned about limiting the tribe’s options for a new casino location to northeast Alabama.

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Read more: What’s in new lottery, casinos bill in Alabama Legislature?



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Alabama

‘We played awful’: Alabama basketball reacts to close win over North Dakota

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‘We played awful’: Alabama basketball reacts to close win over North Dakota


Don’t worry. Alabama men’s basketball knows it didn’t play well.

Alabama forward Grant Nelson, in his return to his home state, didn’t mince words talking about the Crimson Tide’s 97-90 victory over North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Wednesday that came down to the final minute.

“We played awful, pretty much the whole game,” said Nelson, a former North Dakota State player. “We came in, we didn’t take these guys seriously. I was telling them, this is a big game on their home court. We’ve got to take these guys serious. They’re playing for a lot.”

It showed. The Fighting Hawks (4-9) battled from start to finish, holding a lead at halftime and even tying the game with two minutes left. Alabama’s 13 first-half turnovers proved problematic early. Then the Crimson Tide (9-2) fixed its turnover problem but stopped playing good defense.

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“We got yelled at like we should have,” said Nelson, a Devils Lake, North Dakota native. “I’m sure we’ll continue to get yelled at the rest of this week. But like I said, they played really great. It’s a great team and I think they’ll win a lot of games.”

Alabama coach Nate Oats was particularly frustrated by his defense. North Dakota scored 52 points in the second half, averaging 1.486 points per possession.

“I give North Dakota credit; they wanted this game,” Oats said. “They were ready for it. Great environment. Crowd was great. And our guys didn’t really come out ready to play. Our matchup on (Treysen) Eaglestaff wasn’t great to start. I don’t know that we really ever found the matchup.”

Eaglestaff scored 40 points, making him the first mid-major player to do so against a team ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll since 2012, per ESPN. The Bismarck, North Dakota native kept the Fighting Hawks in it until the end as he hit 15 of 30 and 8 of 18 from deep. Nelson, meanwhile, scored 23 points to go with 10 rebounds.

“Can’t sleep on those North Dakota boys,” Nelson said. “They can really hoop. I’ve known him for a while. I played him when he was here and I was at North Dakota State. I knew he was a great player. Our scouting report was pretty much around him.”

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Which made it all the more frustrating that Eaglestaff did what he did.

“I feel like we let ourselves down,” Nelson said. “We’ve got a lot to learn. We’re going to watch video and see what we can do better.”

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.





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Alabama transfer Damon Payne confuses reporters with voided commitment to Michigan

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Alabama transfer Damon Payne confuses reporters with voided commitment to Michigan


In the current landscape of college football where players are moving teams more than ever in the transfer portal, reporting on college recruiting has become an incredibly difficult job. But on Wednesday, Alabama transfer Damon Payne and his agency made things even more difficult with his commitment to Michigan, which was voided in the span of only a few hours.

Payne, who is a former five-star defensive lineman in the midst of his junior year at Alabama, saw the field rather sparingly this season, recording just 14 total tackles in the eight games he saw action.

On Tuesday, Payne announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. And it didn’t take him long to seemingly narrow down his ideal landing spot, sending in his papers to commit to Michigan on Wednesday morning according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.

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However, just three hours later, Nakos offered an update detailing how the documents that Damon Payne had signed had been nullified by his agent.

This obviously raises a question as to whether there was an inaccuracy in Nakos’ reporting on the matter, or if there was some loophole found by Payne’s agent that made his signed documents to Michigan non-binding.

Well, Isaiah Hole, who covers Michigan for the USA Today Sports Network via Wolverines Wire, backed the reporting from On3 Sports, detailing in a series of posts on X how Payne had signed but his commitment was voided by his agency.

“This had nothing to do with On3’s reporting,” wrote Hole. “To clarify: Payne signed, it has been voided. On3 reported correctly.”

Payne’s agent, Steven Fantetti, did offer a vague clarification on the matter in a statement to On3 Sports, detailing just that Payne has not yet signed with any school and will release his commitment “under his own terms soon”.

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“Damon Payne is not currently signed with any school, and he will be releasing his commitment under his own terms very soon,” Fantetti said in his statement.

As for where Payne could be headed once he does commit to a school for real, Michigan reportedly remains on his list of teams he is still considering, along with Notre Dame, Oregon, and even a potential return to Alabama.

[On3 Sports, Pete Nakos on X]





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Alabama Barker Claims Bhad Bhabie's Boyfriend Le Vaughn Is Abusive

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Alabama Barker Claims Bhad Bhabie's Boyfriend Le Vaughn Is Abusive



Alabama Barker.
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Capitol Music Group

Bhad Bhabie accused Alabama Barker of apparently stealing her boyfriend, Le Vaughn.

In a since-deleted Instagram Story post screenshotted by Page Six, Bhad Bhabie, 21, claimed, “@AlabamaLuellaBarker took my man. … I told [Le Vaughn] next time I catch you. You got be with time.”

The rapper and social media personality, who welcomed daughter Kali in March with Le Vaughn, then declared she is “single.”

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Barker, 18, subsequently denied the accusations.

Rapper Bhad Bhabie Through the Years Inside Her Unusual Rise to Fame

Rapper Bhad Bhabie Through the Years: Inside Her Unusual Rise to Fame 

Before Bhad Bhabie launched a reality TV and rap career, she was best known as the “Cash Me Outside” girl. In 2016, Bhabie (real name Danielle Bregoli) appeared in a segment for Dr. Phil that was titled “I Want to Give Up My Car-Stealing, Knife-Wielding, Twerking 13-Year-Old Daughter Who Tried to Frame Me for a […]

“I want to be clear: I have no interest in this man, nor would I ever lower myself to be with someone who has been physically abusive towards women,” Alabama, the daughter of exes Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler, wrote in a since-deleted Instagram Story message, per Daily Mail.

Alabama then went on her TikTok on Wednesday, December 18, further denying that she would ever date Le Vaughn, 26.

“I’ve been to her house one time and I guess he was there, but I never saw his face,” Alabama recalled in her Wednesday video. “I’m not looking to wreck anyone’s home or family. I don’t get any cool points from that and I don’t benefit from it all. I also would never date this man.”

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Alabama Barker Claims Bhad Bhabie s Boyfriend Le Vaughn Is Abusive

Le Vaughn and Bhad Bhabie.
Courtesy of Bhad Bhabie/Instagram

Alabama further explained that she later met up with Le Vaughn in Las Vegas and he “continuously lied to [her]” and claimed to be single.

“Sadly, I fell for his manipulative lies and after I told him I no longer wanted communication with him, he continuously tried to talk to me and put me in a very uncomfortable position,” Alabama alleged. “I’m not going to disregard my faults in the situation. There are definitely certain things I could have gone about differently.”

Alabama Barker Claps Back at Critic Who Shamed Her Makeup

Alabama Barker Gives Savage Response to Critics Who Shamed Her Makeup

Not on her watch! Alabama Barker has a message for those who have something to say about her makeup choices.  The 17-year-old daughter of Travis Barker took to TikTok on April 18 to hit back at social media trolls. “When Kathryn with 3 kids, only waterline liner, 4 different colored blonde [hair] & Toms shoes […]

According to Alabama, she “did try to ghost” Le Vaughn in August, but he kept trying to message her. Alabama also alleged that Le Vaughn said he was “in love with me” but refused to tell Bhad Bhabie (real name Danielle Bregoli) the truth.

“The situation is unfortunate and goes against my morals as a woman,” Alabama said. “My intentions are never to break a family apart. That is the lowest of the barrel. Believe me or don’t believe me, that is just disgusting.”

She added, “Thankfully, I’m not blind to the fact that he’s manipulating her or myself. He’s also gaslighting the situation and trying to turn us against each other when really he was the problem from the beginning. Me and Danielle were more like acquaintances than anything.”

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Alabama further “regrets even acknowledging [Le Vaughn] in the first place and letting this even become a thing.”

“I take full accountability for things I did participate in, whether I did or did not know, that’s not fair to her at all,” Alabama said. “He’s pushing 30 and he thinks this is OK. That is honestly scary. … I understand her frustration.”

Neither Bhad Bhabie nor Le Vaughn have further addressed the alleged situation.

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