Tuberville says he would not oppose Alabama gambling referendum

Tommy Tuberville, the Republican candidate for governor of Alabama, said he would not block an effort to let voters decide whether to authorise gambling in the state, according to an interview with the Capital Journal. Tuberville, a former Auburn Tigers football coach who has represented Alabama in the US Senate since 2021, is seeking the governor's office in the election on 3 November. The Alabama Constitution bars the legislature from authorising any new form of gambling, including casinos, lotteries and sports betting; changing that would require a statewide ballot referendum amending the state's legal framework.

Tuberville said a legislature-led constitutional referendum would not need the governor's signature to reach voters, but that he hoped lawmakers would work with the governor's office on any gambling push, and that the governor should be involved in shaping a package. "I’m not a gambler, so either way for me would be fine. I want to do what the people of Alabama want to do," he said. He added that he would not stand in the way but would not promote a proposal without a complete overview of how it would work from the outset.

According to the report, the Senate candidate has accepted $130,000 in campaign donations from VGW. That company runs an online sweepstakes casino whose platforms remain active in Alabama even though the state bans gambling. Among the brands it operates are Chumba Casino, Global Poker and LuckyLand Casino.

Alabama's constitution can only be amended through the legislature if a bill clears both chambers by a three-fifths margin (60%), after which voters would need just a simple majority to approve it. Republicans hold 27 of 35 Senate seats and 76 of 105 House seats, giving them control of the process. Yet the report notes that a referendum still faces resistance in Montgomery, where numerous legislators object on religious grounds.

Tuberville has been considered the front-runner to succeed term-limited Governor Kay Ivey. Recent polling cited in the report suggests a closer race between Tuberville and Democratic opponent Doug Jones, a former US senator whom Tuberville defeated in 2020; the Democratic-aligned Chism Strategies poll gives Tuberville a three-point lead and calls the race a "genuine toss-up." Prediction market traders take a different view, with Tuberville's shares of winning the governor's office trading at 93 cents as of 30 October. Jones has said he would support a "comprehensive gambling bill."