Jackpot Justice: Trenchport Gains Access to State Lottery in Historic City Vote

By Tribune Senior Staff

District 1, Trenchport, AL

Saturday, August 2nd, 2025

For once, the odds are in our favor, citizens of Trenchport!

In an unexpected show of unity; all four city council members, representing the citizens of each district, and the mayor voted unanimously Friday night to approve a proposition authorizing Trenchport’s entry into the State Lottery System, following a controversial recommendation issued by the Governor’s office earlier this summer.

The measure almost didn't happen. However, after tense debates with local faith leaders and advocates who were concerned that the approval of the gambling measures would adversely affect the impoverished, elderly, and youth the council added some minor concessions. As a result the measure was approved with specific limitations:

• Players must be between the ages of 18 and 99,

• Ticket prices were slightly increased to fund gambling addiction services, and

• One ticket per week per citizen is the legal limit.

The historic vote was only one of several topics discussed during a tense but productive evening session. The installation order was sent to City Works soon after its approval. A supervisor the Tribune spoke with there was quoted as saying:

"City Hall ordered the equipment a while back, soon after the Governor’s recommendation, and it recently arrived. As a result of their vote tonight and the work orders approval; we will be installing it tomorrow morning."

As of this morning, Trenchport residents can now legally purchase and play state lottery tickets. Installation of the city’s first and only sanctioned lottery terminal was completed overnight at the GAS Gas Station in District 2, where crowds had already begun forming by sunrise.

The GAS station attendant on duty during the terminal’s installation told the Tribune:

“I dunno who greased who to get us picked, but we’re gonna need a security guard and a mop. It’s already wild in here.”

While the approval came amid broader debates over government and municipal worker wage restructuring, including pay raises and pay cuts across various departments, the lottery proposition passed with minimal resistance.

“Just because this city’s leadership is held together by duct tape, violent threats, and offshore bank accounts doesn’t mean the people should keep suffering under their incompetence. While we might not be able to fix the corruption overnight... but we can at least offer hope to the citizens stuck living beneath it, in the form of a lucky windfall.” - Alabama Governor

Though the State Lottery system is often criticized for disproportionately targeting lower-income regions, this rare gesture of inclusion was met with cautious optimism in Trenchport, a city whose residents are more familiar with kickbacks than cashbacks.

Still, the Governor’s message landed like a Molotov through a stained-glass window aimed directly at Trenchport’s most visible power brokers: the Mayor, the Chief of Police, the City Judge, and a certain District Banker known for his elusive campaign donations and quiet land grabs.

And yet, for the first time in recent memory, the council chamber held something rarely seen:

Consensus.

So, What Can You Win?

According to official records, the lottery odds in Trenchport match those in other participating municipalities. Here's how it breaks down:

• The $100,000 top prize has odds of 1 in 100,000.

• The $50,000 prize has odds of 1 in 1,000.

• The $25,000 prize has odds of 1 in 100.

• The $10,000 prize has odds of 1 in 33.

• The $1,000 prize has odds of 1 in 20.

• And the lowest tier, $500, is effectively guaranteed — with odds of 1 in 1.

Where’s the Money Going?

Unlike other cities in the state, Trenchport has no functioning educational system, and therefore no school district to receive a cut of the ticket profits. As a workaround, the Governor’s proposition included a clause that redirects all local lottery revenue into the city’s General Fund, earmarked specifically for public works projects and expanded social services.

City officials have already floated plans to use the incoming funds for things like trash pickup restoration, public clinic staffing, and urban blight cleanup in Districts 3 and 4.

Some even hinted at a public transit pilot using a potential new city-run app called Haulr, to act as a ride-sharing service where residents with valid licenses and registered vehicles can earn pay for transporting others around the city. Details remain speculative for now.

For once, Trenchport residents can dream a little.

A brighter future may still be a gamble, but at least now, it's one we’re allowed to take.

To report misuse of lottery funds, bribery, or missing councilpersons, contact the Trenchport Tribune Tipline or the Local Crimestoppers Line.