Alabama Online Sports Betting

Sports betting is illegal in Alabama (online or land-based), so it has some way to go before being introduced or the state develops a sports wagering industry with something approaching the advanced NJ online sports betting sites.

Two related sports betting bills were re-introduced in the Alabama Senate in 2022, but neither one passed before the legislative session ended. SB 293 and SB 294 would have put a referendum on the November 2022 ballot about sports betting. In addition, it would have created a lottery and gaming commission in the state in order to oversee the enterprise. 

Alabama is currently one of five states without a lottery, which has been a tough sell in the state.

Alabama is a sports betting free-zone despite its neighbors joining the party in recent years. On the other hand, Horse Racing, e-bingo and tribal casinos provide a somewhat limited gambling scene in Alabama.

Visit our Alabama Gambling page for More information on the states online casino and other gambling

There is no tax on sports betting in the state of Alabama as sports betting is illegal and casinos only exist on Native American Tribal lands. The most recent legislation said that betting revenue would be taxed at 20 percent, however that has not been approved.

The lawmakers in Yellowhammer State has enforced have enforced a minimum gambling age for ALL legal forms of gambling of 19 as per the table below

Alabama, perhaps more than any Bible Belt state, has long recoiled over the notion of legalized gambling of any kind, and as such sports betting is still illegal in the state.

Consequently, since May 2018, there has been plenty of doubters coming forward on whether Alabama can progress with legal sports gambling even after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 26-year-old federal ban against sports betting outside of Nevada.

Fantasy sports in Alabama once again allowed Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) in 2019 after it was banned in 2016. Both FanDuel and DraftKings are available to be played in the state as well.

The State of Alabama doesn’t have any specific laws that prohibit placing bets on sporting events, although it is illegal to be a bookmaker in Alabama. Therefore, all sports betting (if any – read horse and greyhound racing only) in Alabama must be done online, until further legislation passes.

In Alabama, having bookmaking records or gambling records is considered a Class A misdemeanor.

In the Federal judiciary system, lawmakers have declared that Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) are exempt from any Federal sports betting bans, as they have legally determined DFS to be contest of skill, rather than a gambling game of random chance.

Things differ with DFS laws at the State level in Alabama. In Alabama, DFS participation was considered to be a form of gambling from 2016-2019, when it was legalized again. Now most of the major operators have contests available to be played in the state.

With the exception of greyhound racing and horse racing in Alabama, sports betting and eSports betting is still unavailable. When sports betting becomes legal in the state, eSports betting should become a new and popular way for Alabama’s residents to win a few dollars, and the state to earn some additional revenue into the bargain.

At its simplest, ‘eSports’ is video game play at the highest professional level possible. Usually, eSports is played in a team format (rather than individually) in leagues and tournaments worldwide. Software game development companies of major electronic games have each launched their own pro leagues, and eSports competitions have been transformed into global betting events with the advent of live streaming technology.

High-profile eSports such as Starcraft, Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, Call of Duty and others, all have their own worldwide league competitions. Developed sports betting markets across the planet offer a range of betting markets across all major eSports tournaments.

Watch for sports betting to be legalized in Alabama to take part in legal eSports betting in the state.

Horse Racing Betting is fully legal (both online and on course/track side) for all visitors to, and residents of the state of Alabama. Horse and greyhound racing are only permitted in cities of over 300,000 people, and there are no horse tracks in the state.

Wagers can be made on live races at off-track betting facilities and over the Internet, and as a result, all of the largest and well-known horse and dog racing betting websites that operate across the United States have a presence in the state of Alabama.

There are three greyhound racing facilities in Birmingham and Mobile and all three have live greyhound racing and simulcast greyhound and horse racing from all over the country 52 weeks a year. The Alabama tracks are considered to have some of the best in simulcast wagering opportunities for both greyhound and thoroughbred facilities across the nation. Significantly, all tracks in Alabama allow advance wagering except in multi-race wagers.

Off track betting bureaus (OTBs) are not widespread in Alabama. Full betting on Horse Racing and Simulcast racing are offered at the only four locations (3 of those are former tracks) across the state. Betting on races in Alabama, most major racing locations worldwide and of course, across the United States and are all available in Alabama OTB’s.

As the only form of permissible online betting in the state, it’s not surprising to learn that all major U.S. online horse racing betting sites all accept customers from the state of Alabama and offer real money bets on horse racing (Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown etc.) for Alabama residents and visitors to the state.

Click Here for our list on Online casinos licensed to operate in Alabama