Ashley is our golden girl from the Golden State. Native to San Francisco and a former UCLA student, her initial passion in life has always been sport. A keen soccer, volleyball, and softball player, she presumed her life would involve continuing to play sports in her spare time and making use of her Master’s in Psychology during professional hours — and then she visited Las Vegas.
Making her first trip on a weekend getaway with three friends, Ashley immediately fell in love with Vegas, and it’s a relationship that shows no sign of diminishing. As well as being dazzled by the riotous sights and sounds that draw so many to the desert, Ashley found herself watching slots games and the people who played them, and wanting to find out more.
Upon returning home, Ashley focused on learning as much as she could about the mechanics of gambling and everything it has to offer. Combined with multiple trips back to Vegas, and a keenness to dabble in the online casino world when she couldn’t make the trip, Ashley’s aspirations began to change. She began to write articles in an effort to spread her ever-growing knowledge of the gambling world, focusing initially on casinos, but then expanding further into the sports betting and casino realm. Now, Ashley is a Contributing Editor of Las Vegas How To; our golden All-American-girl whose life took a surprising, but hugely rewarding, direction the moment she first inhaled Las Vegas’ dry, opportunity-rich desert air.
Are you looking to bet on your favorite sports or casino games in Alabama? If yes, we’ve got some good news for you. Alabama is one of the many U.S. states where online gambling is illegal, but bettors can freely wager through offshore betting sites.
That said, online Gambling in Alabama can be challenging if you don’t know a reputed offshore betting site to wager on. To help you choose the right operator, we’ve rounded up the best AL online gambling sites for you.
Who is this article suitable for? – All Alabama gambling fans
If you are looking forward to betting online in Alabama, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ve broken down the facts you should know before signing up with any site that claims to welcome Alabamians. First, there’s no law governing or regulating online sports betting and casino gambling in Alabama, making the whole industry a bit confusing.
By default, any online gambling in Alabama is illegal, but that doesn’t mean you cannot bet on your favorite sports or slot games. In fact, there are some reputed and trusted offshore gambling sites that offer wagering services to residents of Alabama. This article will help you choose the right site so you can bet on your favorite games and slots.
The legal history of sports betting and casino gaming in Alabama – Is online gambling legal in Alabama?
So, is online gambling legal in AL? Alabama is one of the few states where online casino gaming and sports betting are illegal. Others include online casinos Kentucky and online casinos NE. Despite several attempts and efforts to legalize sports betting, Alabama has remained conservative about its gambling laws. Alabama doesn’t have commercial casinos except for three tribal ones that are licensed by the state. These casinos are land-based, offering slots and electronic bingo games.
Up until 2020, there were four attempts to legalize sports betting in Alabama. The state Senate committee passed a wagering expansion bill that proposed the legalization and regulation of sports betting and online gambling in Alabama. However, the house didn’t vote for the bill after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on the bill’s specifics, including where the revenue would be channeled. The same bill could appear for voting in November 2022, where Alabamians would vote for or against the law.
The last time Alabamians voted for a gambling law was in 1999 when voters rejected the proposed bill that could see lottery revenue channeled to fund education. Today, most Alabamians wanting to bet on casino games or sports do so through offshore betting sites.
The risk with these sites is that any legal entity does not regulate them to operate within the state jurisdictions. That means those betting through such sites aren’t protected in case the sites fail to deliver payouts. However, that hasn’t been a significant problem as many reputed and trustworthy sites licensed in other states offer betting services to the residents of Alabama.
And while sports betting and gambling in Alabama are illegal, there are some exceptions. Horse racing betting and greyhound betting are legal, with certain land-based casinos licensed to offer simulcast wagering.
Looking into the future, there are hopes that Alabama will one day pass a bill to make sports betting and online gambling legal. When that time comes, sports such as hockey, baseball, basketball, and football are likely to be on top of the list. But until then, Alabama still remains the conservative state it has always been, with no state lottery and no online casino to its name.
Editor’s recommendation – The best sports betting operator for users in Alabama
Land-based casinos operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and fantasy sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings are among the only sites licensed to operate in Alabama. The other licensed casinos in Alabama offer greyhound simulcast wagering and electronic bingo machine games.
Horse racing is also legal in Alabama, and there are a couple of offshore betting sites available to Alabama residents. These sites include TwinSpires and Amager. Other offshore sports betting alternatives include BetOnline, Bovoda, and BetUS.
Due to the lack of proper legislation and considering the state’s conservative nature, several betting sites have stayed out of Alabama. And as you would expect, our Alabama online casino list is limited. If you are looking forward to betting on sports or casino games, here are our top picks from the options we’ve highlighted above:
TwinSpires
Owned and operated by the renowned Churchill Downs Inc., TwinSpires is one of the oldest and well-reputed brands in the sports betting world. The site offers online casinos, mobile sports, and online horse racing betting.
TwinSpires offers a string of bonuses and promotional offers covering several sporting markets. Additionally, an in-play betting experience is available for users who have a taste for live wagering. And with several deposit and withdrawal options, you are sure to find your favorite payment method.
FanDuel
Founded in 2009, FanDuel quickly rose to become one of the household names in the sports entertainment scene. As a trusted site offering daily fantasy sports, FanDuel has expanded to provide online gambling and mobile sports in jurisdictions where they are permitted.
Besides the attractive bonuses and various betting markets, the site offers a user-friendly interface with in-play betting and live statistics. FanDuel’s mobile app further enhances the wagering experience. For Alabama residents, daily fantasy betting is a niche that FanDuel serves very well.
Bovada
This is one of the reputed American sportsbooks that offers full service, one-wallet betting experience. Over the years, Bovada has cemented its reputation as a highly competitive betting site with generous signup bonuses and regular promotional offers. The operator also offers a wide selection of odds on several sporting markets.
As far as customer support, user experience, and payment options are concerned, this site earned our spot on the top three trustworthy offshore betting sites in Alabama.
86/100
Rating
100% up to $200
Bonus
|
T&Cs apply, 18+
Get FanDuel Bonus
Five Tips for a secure and fair gambling experience in Alabama – What to look for
To avoid falling into the trap of fake and unregulated offshore betting sites, it’s necessary to prioritize site security and a fair gambling experience. And with a limited number of licensed AL online gambling sites, it only makes sense to thoroughly evaluate and review the available betting sites. Here are the factors to consider:
Site security
One way to know if a site is secure is to check if it is HTTPS-secured. In other words, when you visit a site, your web browser checks the site’s security certificate before verifying that a legitimate certificate authority issued it.
The site should also have the right mechanisms in place to protect you from harmful third parties. That way, you are sure that your personal and credit information is safe from hackers and other bad actors.
Operator licensing
By default, Alabama internet gambling is illegal, but some sites are licensed to offer wagering services under certain conditions. For instance, sites offering social gambling and pari-mutuel horse racing betting.
For these sites, the online gambling license should be issued by the relevant regulator or gambling authority. Over the years, bettors in several states have fallen victim to unregulated offshore betting sites that go under after failing to give out payouts.
Quality of customer support services
Most betting sites offer 24-7 customer support services, so the real differentiator would be the quality of those services. The best operators have polite and friendly support agents who are easy to reach with multichannel support systems. That way, you can quickly get help without necessarily having to type lengthy emails or make phone calls.
If a site lacks customer support or requires users to use a specific email for support services, there’s a lot to worry about. That not only frustrates customers but also delays services which is a trait common with scam and unlicensed betting sites.
User reviews
Before going any further, you should check the site’s reviews across the internet. This will tell you a lot about the operator services, betting markets, and overall experience. Choosing a trusted review site means that you’ll have access to the most accurate and reliable information.
Even then, every site will have its pros and cons. And there’s always going to be an unhappy customer lamenting poor services from a given operator. A rule of thumb is to read through the reviews with a pinch of salt. When compiling our list of recommended sites, we checked several review sites, including the comments on the operators’ social media pages.
The site’s terms and conditions
Last but not least is to go through the site’s terms and conditions. Our experience with online gambling sites tells us that the devil is always in the T&Cs section. This is particularly true when using bonuses and promotions or processing withdrawals and winnings from bonuses.
Legit sportsbooks and gambling sites have fair terms and conditions that encourage users to continue betting while also keeping their operations profitable. Conditions such as wagering requirements and minimum withdrawals are crucial when selecting an online betting site. When ranking Alabama online gambling sites, we pay attention to the operators’ T&C’s to ensure they are favorable and realistic enough.
What do we look for when evaluating operators for Alabama residents? – The key determinants
As stated earlier, online gambling in Alabama isn’t legal. With only electronic bingo machines and video slot gaming machines available, evaluating licensed operators can be tedious. That said, social casinos offering casino games such as slots, video poker, and blackjack are meant for entertainment with no money exchanged.
However, specific sites offer horse racing betting for the residents of Alabama. Even then, most people don’t have the time or patience to do proper research before signing up with the given sportsbook. Here are some of the factors we consider when evaluating a licensed operator that accepts Alabama residents. That is, whether for horse racing betting, casino games, or other betting markets.
Jurisdiction and legality
Most offshore betting sites aren’t licensed to offer betting and gambling services to Alabama residents. Those that are licensed either offer social casino offerings or pari-mutuel horse racing betting. All the sites we’ve recommended are trustworthy and highly reputed with a positive track record in the industry. That way, these sites are safe and secure enough for Alabama residents.
Reputation
We check not only the operators’ current standing but also their history. Feedback from previous customers, for instance, can tell a lot about the site’s user experience or customer support.
Bonuses and promotions
Finding a generous sportsbook that works in favor of the bettors can be challenging. We sort through the options and pick only those with decent offers right from the time you sign up with the site.
Banking options
In most cases, the more diverse the payment methods, the faster the payout speeds, and the better the betting experience. To pick only the best, we sign up with a site, explore the deposit methods before placing a wager. We also request payouts to check the processing speeds.
The best operators on the scene
Finding the right operator for you – Online gambling Alabama
Now that you have a couple of betting sites you can choose from, narrowing it down to only one can still be daunting. To choose the right site, you need to know who you are and what you need. For instance, are you busy throughout the day and need a site that offers 24-hour customer support? Or do you prefer a site that provides side features such as Cashout or bet builders?
To distill your options to only the best, you may want to consider the following factors:
Site reputation – Reputation begins with respectable ownership and site transparency. The years of industry experience may not necessarily mean that the operator is reputed. Always check what real customers have to say about the operator.
Site experience – A fast-loading site with easy navigation and high-quality graphics will guarantee a seamless betting experience. The website design should also be highly responsive, allowing you to wager or track your bets on the go.
Site features – As highlighted earlier, a site that offers additional features like live streaming, virtual sports, cashout, and bet builders may appeal to you more than those without these side features.
To help our readers pick the best choices, we make our reviews as comprehensive as possible. That way, you can quickly compare and contrast the available options based on your unique needs and preference. If you have some tough options to weigh, feel free to use this review to guide your decision-making process.
Conclusion – Online gambling in Alabama coming soon
Most sports and casino enthusiasts in Alabama know the status of online gambling in their home state. However, if you are new to the world of betting, you now know that online sports and casino betting is illegal in AL, but you can wager through a reputed offshore betting site.
Before the legal landscape changes for the better, it’s worth keeping up with the latest trends and developments. As more neighboring states legalize online sports and casino betting, Alabama will eventually have to legalize it to avoid millions of dollars crossing the borders.
Be sure to use a good welcome bonus
Online Gambling Alabama FAQ
📱 Is mobile sports betting legal in Alabama?
Alabama is one of the many U.S. states without a definite law or regulations governing online gambling and sports betting. There are three tribal casinos in Alabama, all owned and regulated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Whether you want to find online casinos Connecticut, or learn more about the legality of mobile sports betting in Alabama, head over to LVH, we’ve got all the answers.
🔍 What are the laws surrounding Alabama Internet Gambling?
The legal landscape surrounding gambling and online sports betting in Alabama isn’t any straightforward. To some extent, you can legally bet on pari-mutuel horse racing and greyhound racing, as you can in Nebraska, but in a similar way to Alabama, online casinos MN are also strictly off-limits. Similarly, it’s legal to play land-based slot games, and electronic bingo is offered in tribal casinos. We’ve covered more about sports betting and online gambling in Alabama, including what’s legal and what’s not.
🕵️ Did Alabama pass the sports betting bill?
Alabama’s senate took the bill to the voting line in April. Most lawmakers support the bill, which is a comprehensive package detailing everything from the state lottery to sports betting and casino-like gambling. If the bill goes well through to the finish line, Alabamians will have the chance to vote and decide whether to legalize sports betting, online gambling, and the state lottery. Read our comprehensive review to learn more about this bill and what to expect.
⚽ Are there online sportsbooks in Alabama?
If you want to bet on sports or online casino games in Alabama, you’ll need to use an offshore betting site. This means choosing a reputed and trustworthy site licensed in another state that accepts residents of Alabama. Refer to our review to check the trustworthy sportsbooks you can wager on in Alabama.
🎰 How do I choose an online gambling site in Alabama?
Picking an online gambling site in Alabama can be a daunting experience, especially if you are new to gambling. It takes proper research and good judgment to choose a site that will ensure the best gambling experience. Not all offshore betting sites are licensed, and not all of them will suit your unique betting needs. We tested a couple of these sites and found some that offer exceptional betting services. Refer to our list of online betting sites in Alabama to choose the best one for you.
