A Guide To Gambling laws In Alabama
Alabama is one of the least friendly US states when it comes to legal domestic gambling opportunities. In short, thanks to extremely strict Alabama gambling laws, there’s just not much to choose from. There’s no domestic online gambling in AL, and the in-person gambling scene is limited to a trio of Class II tribal venues and a single commercial “racino.” Slots, blackjack, roulette, and other casino classics you’d expect from a Vegas-style gambling experience are all currently illegal in Alabama.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get access to proper real-money casino games. Alabama online casinos – so long as they’re located outside of AL and US borders – are safe and legal to use for all residents aged 18 and up, and there are no AL gambling laws barring access to these Internet-based venues. To learn how to legally play online casino games for real money in AL, our short guide will keep you on the right side of the law.
Is Online Gambling Legal In Alabama In 2024?
Yes, but not domestically. Proper casino gambling is against the law in Alabama whether you’re playing with a retail operator or online operator, if that operator is headquartered inside AL or US borders.
Since all the best online Alabama casinos are located outside of the United States altogether, they are free to offer real-money gambling games to AL residents, and AL residents are similarly free to use these services.
What Is The Legal Gambling Age In Alabama?
There’s lots of confusion about the Alabama legal gambling age. Many online resources claim the minimum age for parimutuel betting in AL to be 18, while others claim the minimum age is actually 19. Similarly, many sites say that the legal minimum AL casino age is 18, while others say it’s actually 21. So, what’s the truth?
Well, technically, if you live in AL, you can legally bet on Greyhounds and horses at just 18 years of age or older. And since there are technically no casinos in AL, there’s no minimum Alabama casino gambling age. Thus, for all intents and purposes, the minimum gambling age in Alabama is determined by where you gamble.
Because the three Class II AL Indian casinos all serve alcohol – and since the AL legal drinking age is 21 – that’s how old you have to be to play at these venues.
Meanwhile, as there are no AL betting laws regarding offshore international online casinos – and because most of these venues require their members to be just 18 to sign – you only need to be 18 or older to play with these sites.
List Of Alabama Gambling Laws
The AL gambling laws – in a nutshell – bar all traditional casino gaming. That is, the following kinds of casino games cannot be found anywhere in the state operated at a domestic level (and can only be played legally online at legit Alabama casinos like those featured here):
- Slot Machines
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Video Poker
- Craps
- Keno
- Lotteries
- Raffles
- Scratch-Offs
Essentially, all AL in-person gamblers are relegated bingo, simulcast horse racing betting, simulcast Greyhound betting, and VLT/EGM/HHR machines at Class II tribal casinos or defunct dog tracks.
If you’d like to learn more about the specifics of AL gambling law, you can consult the following links taken from the Code of Alabama (1975). The laws have not been changed to date:
Alabama Tribal Compacts
The Alabama Poarch Band of Creek Indians has been trying to get the state to enter with them into a Class III tribal compact, which would allow their Wind Creek Alabama venues to offer traditional Vegas-style slots and other standard casino classics.
However, the state cannot unilaterally enter into such a compact, as the AL legislature must first legalize casino gambling. Whether this can be done by congress alone or must go through a voter referendum is debatable, and there doesn’t seem to be any resolution in sight as of 2022.
As for Class II Alabama tribal compacts, these aren’t actually needed for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to operate their current venues. Per the US Indian Gambling Regulatory Act (IGRA, 1988), any federally recognized tribe is free to offer Class II gaming on tribal lands in their home state, regardless of other state gambling laws.
Alabama Online Gambling Laws
There are no AL online gambling laws on the books, as the state has a blanket ban on domestic casino gambling and sports betting. Because of this, there was never a need to specify “online gambling” or “Internet gambling.”
However, AL laws – like US laws – only apply to domestic operators. Because these Alabama gambling rules and regulations cannot apply to foreign or offshore operators – and because individual gamblers are not targeted in any way by AL or US gaming laws – it is 100% legal for AL residents to sign up, make a deposit, and bet real money with any trusted online AL casino operating overseas.
All the sites featured in our Alabama online casinos guide legally accept AL players.
Alabama Mobile Gambling Laws
Many states that have legalized domestic casino gambling necessarily address domestic online gambling (aka domestic iGaming). However, as all local gambling in AL is considered illegal, there are no specific online gambling laws or mobile gambling laws on the books. These would be redundant, after all.
That said, as with offshore online AL gambling, mobile AL gambling is safe and legal provided you use the venues featured in our Alabama online casino reviews.
Each of these sites is 100% web-based and mobile optimized to work with any common smartphone or tablet device. So, if you want AL iPhone casino apps or AL Android casino apps, you can skip the App Store and Google Play store. Simply fire up the mobile web browser on your device of choice, head over to any site recommended here, and roll the dice!
Alabama Offshore Gambling Laws
Alabama’s gambling laws do not cover offshore gambling in any capacity. Thus, because offshore gaming sites aren’t explicitly restricted by the state, they’re fair game. This is actually the main mechanism by which all US residents – in all US states – can safely and legally gamble real-money at online casinos.
As long as the venue you choose is established and reputable (as the sites we recommend are), you’re free to play anytime, anywhere, for all the marbles.
Upcoming AL Gambling Legislation
As of the 2022 Alabama congressional session, no gambling legislation has advanced from the preliminary stages. As such, AL gambling expansion – including domestic Alabama sports betting, Class III or commercial Alabama casino gambling, and/or AL online casino gambling (aka Alabama iGaming) – will have to wait until at least 2023.
That said, even if gambling is expanded in AL, this is likely to be kept to the absolute minimum per “acceptable” national gaming standards. That is, it’s very likely that the state legislature will only legalize in-person or mobile AL sports gambling and/or an Alabama state lottery. There are unlikely to be any new AL casinos or any traditional casino games in Alabama any time soon.
Brick-And-Mortar Casinos In Alabama
There are three brick-and-mortar “casinos” in Alabama. These, of course, are the Wind Creek tribal Class II gambling venues, all owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
While the tribe has retail casino venues in other states (i.e. PA, FL, NV, IL, etc.) and even other countries such as Aruba and Curacao (where, ironically, many of the best offshore Alabama casinos are headquartered, so you don’t even have to travel to play!), they call Alabama home and host three US-based flagship properties in the Heart of Dixie:
- Wind Creek Casino & Hotel – Atmore, AL
- Wind Creek Casino & Hotel – Montgomery, AL
- Wind Creek Casino & Hotel – Wetumpka, AL
Alabama is also home to a single retail “racino”:
- 777 Victoryland Casino – Shorter, AL
Victoryland is a commercial “gambling” property, but due to strict AL gambling laws, the venue can’t offer table games, poker, or anything like that. Victoryland gambling is limited to simulcast Greyhound betting and simulcast horse racing betting, along with Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), Historic Horse Racing machines (HHRs), and Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs).
All of these gambling games are designed to “look and feel” like slots, but they’re not technically slots. There’s also some controversy around these games, with many AL anti-gambling activists claiming them to be illegal per Alabama gaming laws. So far, though, the state has approved of their continued operation.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians also run AL’s Mobile Greyhound Park in Theodore, AL, near Mobile. However, there are currently no live dog races at the venue. While Greyhound racing is still technically legal in Alabama, the site has been turned into a simulcast horse racing betting venue and restaurant facility.
There are no HHRs, VLTs, or EGMs at the Mobile Greyhound Park, so we don’t consider it worthy of inclusion in our list of “proper” AL gaming centers (otherwise limited though they might be).