This is an opinion column
I was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2006. I have served District 66 for the past 18 years and am proud to consider myself a champion of public education. Each session is different from the last, but one problem that almost always comes up each session is the game.
To be clear, I am not a gamer, nor am I advocating for expanded gaming in Alabama. However, we are fully aware that there are issues that are completely out of control. At the beginning of this Congress, I voted for her HB151 and 152. My decision was based on reflecting the situation in my district against his three major concerns that surfaced over and over again.
The first concern is that the game already exists. It's been in the works for years, and it's time to regulate the games that already exist in the state and get tax revenue from them. We desperately need regulatory and enforcement guardrails in place to eliminate rampant illegal gaming, especially while taxing legal gaming.
Second, the people of Alabama want to vote on this issue, even if they're not gamers like me. They are seeing a huge flow of Alabama dollars from Alabama to surrounding states. I've been watching the polls and hearing what's going on in my district. That's a choice Alabamans would like to have the opportunity to make.
The third big concern is what Alabamians are seeing in other states, which states are playing lotteries and what those states can do with a lottery that supports education and education only. I mean, is it? Additional education funding outside of the regular education budget may enable additional education, such as the Last Dollar Scholarship Program.
It's worth noting that Alabama and all neighboring states have successful education lotteries that generate millions of dollars for students. With Bamadol flowing into surrounding states, it would be interesting to see how much money Alabamians have donated to benefit education in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida over the past 20 years. Dew.
The House of Commons did what I and many others felt was the right path in ensuring that the lottery benefits education and education alone.
Therefore, if Alabama were to implement a lottery, it would need to be an educational lottery. We need to shut down illegal operators and properly regulate and tax those that remain.
Alabama State Representative Alan Baker (R-Baldwin County) represents the 66th District. He was first elected in 2006. He is a former teacher and coach.