A sweeping measure that would allow voters to decide whether to create a lottery and bring legal casino-style gambling to Alabama won House committee approval Tuesday, setting up a major decision for the chamber in the last days of the session.
But the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee s approval of the amendment, SB 319, came after an hourlong public hearing dominated by opponents of the measure, including a former Alabama governor, who raised concerns about the bill s structure and its impact on excluded facilities in Greene and Lowndes counties. You’re putting us in a hole, you’re burying us, and I think that is not fair, said Rep. Kelvin Lawrence, D-Hayneville, whose district includes Lowndes County.