Birmingham Betting 2020 & Online Sportsbooks

This is our short Birmingham (AL) online sports betting guide. Check the gambling sites, legal sportsbooks, mobile apps. Read about Alabama casinos, gambling locations in 2019/2020. Read reviews about top 5 Birmingham casino and sports betting destinations here. 

Birmingham betting overview

A proposed new bill would legalize all sports betting in Birmingham and Alabama. This bill would create the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission and impose a 10% tax on all sports gambling.

Seven licenses would be granted to any facility where pari-mutual betting is authorized. Applications would be $100,000. If successful, digital gambling through mobile applications would be allowed.

However, there hasn’t been much appetite in the state for such a bill to be passed. Efforts to create a state lottery have been refused on multiple occasions. Whilst other southern states, including its neighbor Mississippi, have embraced gambling, Alabama has generally disapproved new forms of gaming, including sports betting online and via mobile apps. So, there are no legal bookies in Birmingham at the moment. 

Will Alabama legalize sports betting?

Alabama has banned gambling ever since the 1901 state constitution laws came into effect. However, the state has recently seen quite a clash from opposing sides of the divide about its gambling laws, with religious elements clashing with more progressive types.

The state bans all sports gambling, but there are a few exceptions, such as dog and horse racing, where players can bet on greyhound and horse races at several tracks in the state. Players bet through the pari-mutual system and races can be watched on TV. There are harsh penalties for those flouting these laws, which are worse on Sundays.

As far as sports betting in Birmingham goes, there is currently only one active racetrack, which is the only one in the state. Simulcast/off-track betting facilities are in operation however in Eutaw, Mobile, and Macon.

Well, bills to legalize fantasy sports have also run into opposition. However, in 2017 a rant from a state lawmaker on a bill proposing a daily fantasy sports bill shone a light on how pervasive sports gambling is, even in Alabama.

Sports betting remains a possibility in many states in the US in 2019, but it’s not a marker of success. As long as that continues, then Alabama may not be joining them any time soon. Maybe in 2020.