Tristan Ruppert

Hundreds of millions will be wagered on the NCAA March Madness tournament this year, but none of it will be wagered here in Alabama. At least not legally.

According to a report by the American Gaming Association, illegal gaming costs state governments more than $13 billion in lost tax revenue a year.

In Louisiana, between July 2022 and March of 2023, sportsbooks made $148 million. This led to $27 million in paid taxes.

In Mississippi, we compared revenue from February and March to see how big of a boost the March Madness tourney is responsible for.

In February 2023, Mississippi Sportsbooks were responsible for $3.1 million in tax revenue for the state. In March, that number grew to nearly five million dollars and March Madness played a massive role in that growth.

Now at one point, the gaming legislation proposed in the Alabama house included casinos and sportsbooks, but the bill has been altered greatly in the Senate.

It’s a fact that has frustrated some lawmakers. House Representative Juandalynn Givan says her constituents ask about gaming every year.

“The one subject that I have to deal with or address is if we will ever get a lottery, will we ever get casinos, will we ever gets sports betting. We are so far behind on the times here in the state of Alabama. It is just mindboggling as to when we will ever catch up.”

The gaming bill is expected to return to the house sometime in early April.