Donation to Tuberville Hints That Alabama May Soon Have Sweeps-Friendly Governor
Tommy Tuberville (left). Credit: Department of Defense
Republican Tommy Tuberville, a strong favorite to win the governorship of Alabama, accepted a $30,000 campaign donation from VGW Luckyland Inc., a popular sweepstakes gambling operator.
If Tuberville does win the race, Alabama gambling interests may find the road to expansion even more difficult. Sweepstakes operators, on the other hand, could find an increasingly rare safe haven.
VGW Luckyland is part of Virtual Gaming Worlds Holdings Limited. The Australia-based company operates several popular sweepstakes products, including Chumba Casino and Global Poker.
Sweepstakes gambling has come under increased scrutiny in the past year. It typically involves a dual-currency system wherein users buy play money credits and also receive “sweeps coins” on a one-to-one basis. These are essentially site credits, which can then be exchanged for cash when withdrawing.
The list of states that banned sweepstakes gambling seems to grow by the month, which has caused considerable industry shrinkage. Minnesota appears close to banning sweeps, following Indiana’s successful prohibition last month.
If or when Tuberville wins, VGW’s $30,000 donation may serve to safeguard the industry’s future in Alabama. With the blessing of the current governor, Kay Ivey, lawmakers have tried repeatedly to call a referendum to establish some sort of regulated gambling in Alabama. However, the House and Senate have been unable to agree on the specifics, leaving the state ripe for gray- and black-market products.
Prediction Markets Ready to Call It For Tuberville
Ivey has reached her term limit, so her tenure as governor ends this year. Tuberville is among those vying to replace her.
The primary is scheduled for May 19, barely a month away.
Tuberville, best known for a longtime college football coaching career at the local university, Auburn, successfully transitioned to politics. He has served as a U.S. senator since 2021. He’s primarily running against Ken McFeeters, and prediction markets at Kalshi have Tuberville with a 96% chance of winning the Republican nomination.
Tuberville’s resources dwarf those of McFeeters. According to Ballotpedia, Tuberville has raised more than $12 million and spent more than $3.5 million in the race. McFeeters has raised $353 and spent about $10,600.
If Tuberville does win the race, as expected, then he’ll almost certainly win the governorship. Kalshi sets the odds for the Republicans to win the Nov. 3 election at 93%. Although the controversies surrounding the Trump administration have tempered Republican hopes in other states, Alabama has not had a Democrat governor since 2003 and looks as deep red as ever.
Gambling Expansion Has Faced Tough Odds in Alabama
Gov. Ivey has been a supporter of gambling expansion. She noted that gambling was already happening in Alabama, so the government was best off legalizing and taxing it.
A study Ivey commissioned suggested that legalizing gambling could bring at least $500 million annually to the state.
Nonetheless, attempts at pushing gambling legislation through have done nothing but stall under her governorship.
Currently, Alabama has a setup similar to that of Texas. There are a handful of tribal properties, but they only operate Class II bingo-based gaming. The Senate has sought gambling expansion that keeps the tribes in control.
The House, meanwhile, has built gambling legislation framework friendlier to commercial casino interests.
State Sen. Merika Coleman led the charge in 2026, saying she hoped to put gambling referendums in front of voters in the next election. However, no serious progress occurred, and gambling bills died in both chambers in March.
Alabama May Become a Rare Sweeps-Friendly State
Early indications, including the $30,000 VGW donation, are that Tuberville would not be as pro-gambling as his predecessor.
Tuberville did accept a $10,000 donation from a Florida casino owner. However, other signs point to Tuberville opposing gambling expansion.
Tuberville hasn’t expressly said much about gambling, aside from indicating that he thinks the state legislature ought to be in control. But it’s doubtful that VGW is blindly throwing $30,000 his way because they want to fund their competition.
And Tuberville has campaigned around MAGA principles with the backing of President Donald Trump. While Trump has a background in gambling, pro-Trump interests have looked to clear the way for prediction markets to take ever-bigger market shares in the gambling world.
Keeping the status quo in place would leave prediction providers and sweepstakes operators as the go-to gambling options in Alabama.
Considering VGW now lists 14 states on its restricted list, the company is likely feeling some urgency to ensure that doesn’t continue to grow. Helping usher Tuberville into office may help on that front, and $30,000 is a pittance for a company valued in the billions.
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