MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) – Lawmakers are about halfway through the 2017 legislative session and one major piece of legislation has been missing; the possibility of a state lottery.
Not a single lottery bill has been brought up for even a vote in committee despite having a special session just a few months ago that focused on just that.
While Governor Robert Bentley created a special task force on gaming, there seems to be no momentum during this session to get a bring forward a bill.
Long time lottery bill supporter Rep. Craig Ford, D-House District 28, says if leadership were to get behind a bill, it could change things. However, with other controversial issues like prisons and impeachment grabbing the headlines it looks like there will need to be an unforeseen change to move forward.
Public support for a lottery still seems to still be strong, so why are the calls for a lottery so much less this year?