Legislation to create a statewide lottery cleared the House of Representatives Economic Development and Tourism Committee Wednesday. A similar bill passed the Senate last month. The measure could be considered by the full House as early as next week. 

SB 220 by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, would place the lottery before a vote of the people March 3, 2020. If approved, the constitutional amendment would establish an Alabama lottery and legalize the sale of paper lottery tickets, including those for multi-state lottery games. Dubbed the “clean lottery bill,” the legislation prohibits video lottery terminals or interactive electronic games. 

The substitute bill approved by the House committee differed from the Senate version by directing 75% of lottery revenues to the General Fund and 25% to the Education Trust Fund (ETF). The original bill split the money between the General Fund, a reserve account and the Alabama Trust Fund, with none allocated to the ETF.

As a constitutional amendment, SB 220 would need a three-fifths majority to pass the full House (or 63 votes). The Alabama Farmers Federation opposes legalized gambling.