Tuscaloosa, the cultural and industrial center of western Alabama, is one of the state’s largest cities but surprisingly there aren’t any sportsbooks in Tuscaloosa. It doesn’t have any casinos or racinos of its own but the sports betting industry will, therefore, be launched in neighboring towns when the practice is finally legalized by the AL state legislature. The expectation is that it could take up to two years from now for Tuscaloosa sportsbooks, though industry insiders are hopeful that the pastime will launch sometime in 2021.

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These sportsbooks are most likely – at first, anyways – to be opened on-site at two venues within reasonable driving distance from the Tuscaloosa city center: the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Wetumpka 106 miles to the southeast, and Victoryland, which is 125 miles in the same direction. Of the two venues, the Wetumpka establishment – managed by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians via their PCI Gaming company – is the superior destination, but both should have ample sports wagering options whenever their betting lounges finally open.

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Is Sports Betting Currently Legal In Tuscaloosa?

Sports betting is currently legal in Tuscaloosa, but only if you participate in the activity via an offshore, online sportsbook. These sites, including Bovada, SportsBetting, BetOnline, and a few others, have all been accepting AL resident customers for decades, and all of them offer world-class sports wagering options, straightforward transfers, state-of-the-art encryption, and data security, and guaranteed payouts. And since they’re located overseas, these Alabama sportsbooks are not subject to US or AL jurisdiction of any kind, making them 100% safe and legal to use.

That said, once land-based, in-state Tuscaloosa sportsbooks open for business, there will certainly be a large shift in usage from those books to the local options. However, even when you can walk right into an Alabama casino and put money on the Crimson Tide (or some other, lesser collegiate or pro club), it will still make good sense – and be strategically sound – to maintain your membership at one or more of these legal online sportsbook sites. Remember, with offshore betting shops, you don’t have to worry about heavily-weighted, expensive lines on area home teams, which could – in many cases – mean that your best wagering values will be at these online books.

Will I Be Able To Bet On Alabama College Teams?

This is all to be determined if and when the state decides to legalize the industry in the regulatory body’s regulations. In short, we are not sure until more information is released. Mississippi is one of the states that have very few restrictions on what teams you can wager on; however, states like New Jersey do not have the ability to wager on college programs that are from New Jersey. Either way, offshore betting sites will allow you to place wagers on the Tide or on the Tigers if you float that way.

Keep in mind that if you are eligible to bet on college teams if and when the legislators make the move, your betting lines may not be the best. When local bookmakers are presented with a local team betting line, they generally increase the vigorish or drastically change the betting line so more people will balance the book. No bookmaker wants to see 100% of the money heading towards one side of the action, so expect to find better value with the offshore counterparts. They may be as different as 3 or 4 points sometimes!

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Best Sportsbooks In Tuscaloosa

Right now, the best sportsbooks in Tuscaloosa are the online services listed above (Bovada, SportsBetting, etc.). However, when it comes to the potential inherent in local land-based sports wagering, the best Tuscaloosa sportsbook will almost certainly be at the Wind Creek Casino in Wetumpka, AL, which is about an 80-minute drive north. Victoryland, which you’ll run into on the same drive some 30 minutes later, is also primed to be a compelling spot, but it’s a more limited experience given its current circumstances.

Both of these physical locations should have competitive odds, lines, and perks, particularly as they’re the two primary options for Tuscaloosa sports bettors who wish to gamble in-state, and they’ll be trying their best to entice customers to favor their product over their rival’s. Whatever line you choose for sports betting in Alabama, then, your bottom line is what benefits most under this arrangement.

• Wind Creek Wetumpka Sportsbook Review
• Address: 100 River Oaks Dr. Wetumpka, AL 36092
• Phone: 866-946-3360

The Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Wetumpka is one of the primary Wind Creek properties of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, who own casino endeavors in several states (as well as various international locales like Curacao and Aruba). As such, it offers some of Alabama’s best casino gaming and resort amenities, including thousands of stations on their large gaming floor, a AAA Four Diamond rated hotel, fine restaurants, a spa, pools, hot tubs, and more.

Located just 106 miles southeast of Tuscaloosa, the Wetumpka Casino is strategically situated between three of Alabama’s biggest metro centers, as it’s only 20 miles north of Montgomery and 90 miles southeast of Birmingham. As such, the Wetumpka Casino gets the most action of any Alabama gambling venue, and a Wetumpka sportsbook should only increase that traffic going forward.

For those seeking adventure outside of any potential sportsbook or casino betting hall, Wetumpka offers plenty to do outdoors. You can visit the popular Gold Star Park, take in the Wetumpka Impact Crater site, let out your inner arborist at the Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum, and hit the rapids along the family-friendly Coosa River.

• Victoryland Sportsbook Review
• Address: I-85 Exit 22 Shorter, AL 36075
• Phone: 334-727-0540

Victoryland – after a protracted legal battle with the repressive state government – has finally lived up to its name, emerging victorious in its fight to offer Alabama residents access to casino gaming on non-tribal lands. However, that battle came at great cost to the venue, as its erstwhile luxury hotel and greyhound track are not yet back up and running in this rebuilding process. A Victoryland sportsbook would go a long way towards helping the venue get back to its old self, and it would even increase traffic to new highs once the sports betting lounge is fully implemented.

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Of course, Victoryland is definitely compelling as its own destination, particularly due to the fact that it’s one of only four places in the entire state of Alabama where you can actually gamble. And since AL residents turn an estimated yearly handle of some $8 billion betting on sports at offshore books (or on the local underground, which is absolutely not recommended, as there is zero recourse for unpaid winnings), there will be plenty of AL residents clamoring for their on-site book once it gets up and running.

Visitors to Shorter, AL, can find other attractions than just Victoryland and its forthcoming Tuscaloosa sportsbook, too. The Tuskegee National Forest, located just 10 miles away in Tuskegee, AL, is one of the premier outdoor recreational areas in the state, and Montgomery, being just 20 minutes away, has a preponderance of natural hotspots and retail experiences for residents and travelers alike.

This is a list of casinos in Alabama.

List of casinos[edit]

History[edit]

Legality of electronic bingo[edit]

Alabama has had many 'electronic bingo' parlors which feature slot machines that are or are similar to Class II gaming machines. The legality of these vary from county to county, and are in a near-constant state of flux. In particular, most such parlors were closed through the efforts of an anti-gambling task force put in place by Gov. Bob Riley early in 2010. But in March 2010, the Alabama Supreme Court determined that Riley did not have the authority to convene such a task force, but that power rested with Attorney GeneralTroy King. Shortly after the task force was sidelined, e-bingo parlors reopened in cities which had previously enacted ordinances permitting and regulating such halls. Additionally, Victoryland also reopened after a brief closure. (Greenetrack and the three Poarch Band of Indians gaming facilities did not close.)

At one time, several counties in Alabama featured numerous e-bingo halls, most notably Walker County, with halls large and small mostly concentrated along the former U.S. Highway 78 between Jasper and the Jefferson County line, ranging in size from converted small storefronts to large halls with hundreds of machines. But a ruling in a lawsuit by the Walker County sheriff determined that the machines in the county's halls were illegal, and the halls were forced to close. District attorneys in Jefferson County used that ruling to justify their order of closure for halls in that county. However, several large halls in Fairfield remained open because the city had passed specific ordinances permitting them. Those halls closed during the governor's task force raids in January 2010, but reopened on March 12, 2010 when the task force was invalidated. They again closed briefly in April 2010, as a part of the ongoing controversy over their legality and a dispute over jurisdiction between Riley and King.

In late May 2010, in yet another legal action in the anti-gambling feud between Riley and King, the Alabama Supreme Court determined that Riley had the ultimate authority to appoint an anti-gambling task force. Riley then announced plans to reactivate the task force, and the district attorney in the Bessemer Cutoff area of Jefferson County (including Fairfield) advised halls there to shut down immediately, or risk having their machines seized. King announced he would no longer interfere with the governor's efforts. Halls began closures on May 24, 2010. Victoryland and Greenetrack remained open for the time being. Poarch Creek operations were not affected, as the state has no jurisdiction over them.

Fairfield legalized large electronic bingo halls in mid-2009, with certain requirements for minimum number of gaming machines. Bamaco Bingo opened in September 2009 with more than 800 machines installed and announced plans for up to 5,000 machines. Two other large e-bingo halls, Bingo Fantastico and World Bingo, later opened adjacent to Bamaco, followed by Legacy Bingo in March 2010. All except Bingo Fantastico occupied empty 'big box' retail stores; Bingo Fantastico replaced a roller skating rink. Three other small bingo halls, including one that shared space with an automotive repair shop, were also located in Fairfield. The city received a permit fee of $100 per machine per month, and bingo was a major tax source for the city.

Bessemer, Alabama had some e-bingo halls in place, but their legality was in question due to a dispute between the city council, which voted to allow the halls, and the mayor, who opposed gambling. Those halls remained closed after the task force invalidation. Other smaller halls were located in cities and unincorporated areas near Bessemer; they also closed later.

Two other large e-bingo halls, Country Crossing in Dothan and White Hall Gaming Center between Selma and Montgomery, were shut down by the task force.

Throughout the controversy, the Poarch Creek band's operations not only continued, they expanded. Facilities in Wetumpka, Atmore and suburban Montgomery added to their gaming floors, and the Wetumpka and Atmore facilities added new high-rise hotels.

In July 2010, after all legal avenues were exhausted, state police and the task force shut down machines at Greenetrack in Eutaw, Alabama, then later at Victoryland. And on October 4, 2010, federal prosecutors filed charges against and arrested Victoryland owner Milton McGregor and several members of the Alabama State Senate in a corruption investigation regarding the entire affair.^[1]

In 2016, after winning a ruling in a federal court against the state, Victoryland reopened its electronic bingo floor on September 14, 2016.^[2]

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Byerele, Dana (2010-10-04). 'VictoryLand owner, state senators arrested'. The Tuscaloosa News.
2. ^Moon, Josh (September 14, 2016). ''Victoryland reopens to large crowd''. Montgomery Advertiser.

External links[edit]

• Media related to Casinos in Alabama at Wikimedia Commons

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