UPDATE – Alabama House Reverses Course, Okays Lottery On 2nd Try

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on lottery legislation in the Alabama Legislature (all times local):

11:35 p.m.

The Alabama House of Representatives has narrowly approved Gov. Robert Bentley’s proposed state lottery,

Representatives on Thursday night voted 64-35 for the bill, barely clearing the 63 votes required to clear the 105-seat House. The late night vote came after 10 hours of contentious debate and two vote attempts.

Supporters cheered as House Speaker Mac McCutcheon announced the lottery bill’s success.

The first vote failed 61-37. However, supporters came back with a reconsideration motion and prevailed on the second vote attempt.

Bentley is seeking the first statewide vote on a lottery since 1999. The Republican governor proposed a lottery as a means to provide money to the state’s cash-strapped Medicaid program. Alabama is one of six states without a state lottery.

The bill now returns to the Alabama Senate where lawmakers must decide whether to go along with House changes to the bill.