FISCAL NOTE

Senate Bill 309 as introduced would implement the provisions of the constitutional amendment proposed by Senate Bill 214 of the 2021 Regular Session relating to the establishment of the Alabama Lottery Corporation, and its powers and duties which include the authority to adopt rules, enter into contracts, administer grants, and regulate lottery games.

This bill provides for the equal distribution of proceeds from the Lottery Trust Fund to the Education Trust Fund and the Postsecondary Scholarship Program to be administered by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education after the payment of prizes, expenses, and grants to aid compulsive gambling programs. The amount of revenue generated from the operation of the lottery to the Education Trust Fund and the Postsecondary Scholarship Program would be an estimated $118 million each per year. 

This bill further provides that the first $15 million dollars of unclaimed lottery prize money will be distributed first to the Department of Agriculture and Industries for grants to individuals and entities for agricultural programs. Any remaining unclaimed prize money would be deposited into the Postsecondary Scholarship Program.

This bill would authorize the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts to audit or examine the Alabama Lottery Corporation, which could increase administrative obligations to the Department by an undetermined amount dependent upon the

Finally, as introduced this bill would establish criminal penalties related to unlawful lottery activity which could increase receipts to the State General Fund and municipal general funds from fines; increase receipts to the State General Fund, county general funds, municipal general funds, and other funds to which court costs are deposited; and could increase the obligations of the State General Fund, local jails, the district attorneys, the Department of Corrections, the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, and community corrections programs by an undetermined amount dependent upon the number of persons charged with and convicted of the offenses provided by this bill and the penalties imposed.