Survey Shows Alabamans Support Gambling

A survey of attitudes towards gambling in Alabama has found that the population overwhelmingly supports both regulated casinos and a state lottery.

Over 4,700 people responded to the survey which was conducted by the website al.com, a local news website for the state. It asked questions about political leanings, opinions on a lottery and more general beliefs about gambling and morality.

The idea of a state lottery last went before voters in 1999 and it failed, since then the issue has basically been ignored by state lawmakers. However, the survey found that there is a huge amount of support for a lottery, both from Republicans and conservatives. There was also huge support for regulated casino gambling as well.

When questioned on how any revenues from state gambling should be spent, Republicans and Democrats both had the same top three priorities: K-12 education, college scholarships and higher education, and improvements to infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

However, past these three points a division appeared, Democrats said Medicaid expansion and improving prison conditions should be next while Republicans voted for economic development and state services.