Gambling legislation is off track.

The bill, which would allow voters to approve statewide lotteries, casino gambling and sports betting, will move first in the Alabama Senate after supporters celebrated its easy passage through the House last week. Looks like it hit a hole.

Sen. Greg Albritton, one of the bill's sponsors, told APR that it was originally scheduled to be considered in a Senate committee and then on the floor this week, but that it will not be on the table this week. He did not provide details on why, but two lawmakers familiar with the negotiations on the bill said there were still several important issues to resolve before they could muster the 21 votes needed for passage.

“Depending on the bill, it's likely that we'll get a vote, but there are still a lot of important pieces missing from this cake,” said one lawmaker. “If they rush this, they'll probably run out. That's why there's a delay.”

The most serious issues include the inclusion of Medicaid expansion, uncertainty over the position of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and the Senate and Governor's office, according to numerous lawmakers, stakeholders and lobbyists who spoke with APR on Monday. It is said that this includes a lack of leadership in the office. The bill was passed.

A number of sources told APR that gambling funds could be used by opponents to disenfranchise lawmakers who support the bill.

“Essentially, they're saying, 'Vote for this, and we'll tell everyone who votes about Medicaid expansion,'” one lawmaker told APR. “So their moral issue with gambling is not the issue. They're worried that the money they make from gambling will be used to provide health care for the poor. God. , please help us.”

The bill does not include Medicaid expansion, and officials told APR that the state has no plans to expand Medicaid in the traditional sense, even in advance of continued questions about gambling. He spoke repeatedly. Instead, it is considering public-private partnerships that would leverage federal Medicaid expansion funds to provide private insurance plans to low-income people. This is similar to the plan used in Arkansas.

The provisions within the gambling bill that make proceeds available to the program are non-binding.

But even without that issue, lawmakers said they aren't sure where the Poarch Creeks stand on the bill at this point. Over the past week, tribes have expressed several concerns about the bill, most notably the lack of assurances where they are concerned.

PCI officials proposed two amendments to the bill. One that would provide a location in Birmingham rather than Northeast Alabama, and the other that would give all current operators in the locations mentioned in the bill the opportunity to do their last best business. It is. Bidding for a casino license.

One lawmaker who spoke with APR said he believed he could resolve the issue with PCI and get the bill accepted. But officials close to the tribe said they cannot support the bill as it stands at this point.

If there is a path forward, it will almost certainly require lobbying from either Senate President Greg Reed, Gov. Kay Ivey, or both. Both have expressed support for the current gambling bill, and Ivey's office was quick to issue a press release last week celebrating its passage in the House.

However, multiple sources told APR that neither Mr. Reed nor Mr. Ivey have been active in recent days in steering the bill through the current crisis. And as a result, the problem got even worse.

“They're going to have to lead on this issue because they have the power to do so,” said one lobbyist. “They need to remember the polls that showed 90 percent of the state's people want to vote for this bill. We've heard from members on both sides of the aisle wondering where they stand on this issue. I heard that it is.”

For now, the bill faces what is clearly its biggest hurdle yet, but there remains some optimism. Most lawmakers who spoke with APR, including those who don't support the bill, said they believed it could pass with just a few tweaks or a strong push from leadership.

It has a lot to do with ordinary people calling their legislators. One lawmaker from a heavily Republican district said his office has been flooded with calls in support of the bill.

“The problem with stopping it is that it's very popular among people,” one official said.