FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
April 17, 2012
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Page 1 of 1
AG ANNOUNCES SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES FELONY GAMBLING BILL
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Luther Strange announced that the
Constitution, Campaign Finance, Ethics and Elections Committee of the Alabama
Senate has approved Senate Bill 446, legislation advocated by the Attorney General
to fight illegal gambling.
“I am pleased that this Senate committee has taken action on our
recommendations to make Alabama’s gambling laws stronger and more effective,”
said Attorney General Strange. “I want to thank Sen. Bryan Taylor, the bill’s sponsor
and the committee chairman, for his outstanding leadership in moving this bill
forward, and I urge members of the full Senate as well as the House of
Representatives to pass this bill as soon as possible. This is my top legislative
priority.”
Under current law, the maximum penalty for any illegal gambling enterprise
is a misdemeanor, regardless of how many millions of dollars are being made from
the illegal activity. The legislation advocated by Attorney General Strange makes
the following improvements to the law:
The maximum penalties for the crimes of promoting unlawful gambling and
the crime of conspiracy to promote unlawful gambling will be increased from
class A misdemeanors to class C felonies. This would deter large-scale illegal
gambling enterprises and also restore the punishment ranges to their original
form when the Legislature first passed these statutes in 1977.
The maximum penalty for the crime of possessing gambling devices will be
increased from a class A misdemeanor to a class C felony.
–30–
501 Washington Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov
