“Multiplying this by the number of gambling addicts created by putting casinos in Alabama creates a total annual cost of about $204 million.”Supporters of the bill say it would only tax the type of electronic games already being played in Alabama. The American Psychiatric Association defines pathological gambling as an impulse control disorder that is a chronic and progressive mental illness.”If the public and private costs of pathological gambling are summed, the average cost per gambling addict per year is approximately $13,080,” the report states.

But opponents argue the expansion of gaming would actually cost the state money.According to the Alabama Policy Institute (API), a non-partisan research and education organization, legalizing casino-style gaming in Alabama would create 15,606 additional pathological gamblers in the state. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, says the proposed constitutional amendment could generate up to $200 million in tax revenue. Those who’ve studied the costs of gambling, however, say a financial windfall for the state may not be in the cards.At the center of the debate is a bill in the Alabama Legislature that would call for a statewide referendum on the legalization and taxation of electronic gaming machines.The sponsor, Rep. With Alabama facing monumental budget shortfalls this year and even leaner times ahead, some lawmakers and candidates are betting they’ll hit the jackpot by legalizing and taxing casino-style gambling.

Alabama gambling losses income