The politicians, US Representative Spencer Bachus and Governor Bob Riley, are among the most ardent foes of legalized gambling in the country.
There is no state program to educate the public about the signs of compulsive gaming.
Keith Whyte of the NCPG says states without casinos or legal gaming still have roughly the same incidence of problem gambling as those that do, much as dry counties still have alcoholism.
Rumors persist in the gaming industry that Bachus cynically recites fabrications of the Christian conservative coalition so as to retain their support.