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Former Alabama Power Company President Charles McCrary, right, and former Auburn University football coach Pat Dye announce a campaign supporting a constitutional amendment to allow a lottery and casinos in Alabama.

(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

Former Auburn University football coach Pat Dye and former Alabama Power Company President Charles McCrary today said they would lead a campaign to pass a constitutional amendment to allow a lottery and casinos at the state's four greyhound tracks.

Dye and McCrary threw their support behind Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh's proposal.

Raymond Harbert, chairman and CEO of Harbert Management Corporation, will join Dye and McCrary as officers in the new Alabama Jobs Foundation, a non profit organization to raise money to pay for TV and radio ads and other efforts to build support for the plan.

"I've lived over 40 years in the state of Alabama and I've traveled it from one end to the other," Dye said. "And I love the state of Alabama and I love the people in it.

"We've had financial issues in the state and we haven't come up with a solution to take care of it."

Dye said he believed the lottery and casinos would solve the state's financial problems.

Marsh's office commissioned a report from Auburn University at Montgomery that estimated a lottery would generate about $330 million in state revenue after prizes and expenses, and the four casinos would generate about $70 million and create 11,000 jobs.

McCrary said he spent much of his career trying to recruit industry. He said a plan that could create 11,000 jobs is too important to pass up.

"Now those jobs may not be important to a lot of people," McCrary said. "But I guarantee you, they're important to the people who don't have a job."

Chip Hill, a spokesman for the foundation, said it would raise money, recruit more business leaders and staff to run the foundation.

Hill said the foundation would lobby the Legislature and fund advertising and public relations campaigns.

Marsh's plan never came up for a vote in the Senate during the regular session.

A constitutional amendment requires approval by three-fifths of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Then it would be put on the ballot for voters.

In 1999, Alabama voters rejected a lottery to fund college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and school technology.

Dye said he was convinced voters would approve Marsh's amendment if they get the chance.

"I'd bet my life the people would approve it, because it makes too much sense," Dye said.

The state General Fund faces a shortfall of $200 million or more for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

The Legislature approved a budget slashing spending by 11 percent, but Gov. Robert Bentley vetoed it.

Bentley said he will call legislators into special session to pass a budget.

Bentley proposed raising taxes on cars and tobacco, eliminating some exemptions and credits and other measures to raise $541 million.

The governor says that's the amount needed to fix the budget next year and put it on a sound footing beyond next year.

But his plan stalled in the Legislature.

Bentley opposes gambling measures as a way to fund government, although he said he is not opposed to a vote on a constitutional amendment.

"Gambling will not solve the issues facing the General Fund by Oct. 1," Bentley spokeswoman Jennifer Ardis said in a statement today.

"The governor has been working with legislators and legislative leadership on what options to include in the call for the special session, but gambling will not be included in the governor's call."

Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, said he did not think Marsh's bill had the 21 votes needed when the legislative session ended.

Brewbaker, who opposes the bill, said he believes there has been a lot of talk since then and that he's surprised that some of his colleagues are now allowing themselves some "wiggle room."

"I think there are a lot of people who are going to be applying a lot of pressure," Brewbaker said.

Brewbaker said the gambling proposal would be an easy way out for legislators who don't want to vote on tax increases to fund key services.

"Instead of really funding Medicaid and Corrections, we'll just victimize our citizens and wreck a few more families, but we won't have to vote to raise taxes," he said.

Dye acknowledged that there is a problem with compulsive gamblers, but said those people would find a place to wager whether Alabama has a lottery and casinos or not.

"The plusses outweigh the minuses," Dye said. "The good outweighs the bad. And it's something that I'm going to work as hard as I can to see that it comes to fruition."

Will Califf, a spokesman for Marsh, said today, "Sen. Marsh believes that giving the people the ability to vote on gaming should be an option in the special session."

Updated at about 2:30 p.m. to add comments from Sen. Dick Brewbaker.