Alabama daily fantasy sports bill runs out of time

For the second year running Alabama daily fantasy sports fans have been denied legalisation following the state Legislature’s adjournment Friday night with a DFS bill still stuck in the Senate.

Bill H 354 made it through the state House on a thin margin after some debate, and was the subject of discussion and some amendments in the Senate last Wednesday…but that was as far as it travelled, and no vote had been held when the state legislature adjourned.

Observers have noted that the Legislature may reassemble for a special session at some point, but that will be dedicated to a specific issue, and the DFS proposal is unlikely to be brought forward. That means a new attempt in the next full Legislative season but defeat in 2017.

Lawmakers may have been swayed for the second consecutive year by state Attorney General Luther Strange’s opinion that DFS is illegal gambling in terms of state law (see previous reports). The AG chased DraftKings and FanDuel out of the state with a cease-and-desist order last year, and there is little DFS action available currently to Alabama fans.

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