The legalization of sports betting came up short in Alabama last year, and several political action committees are investing in candidates for the 2026 state election cycle, hoping to get the right people in place to ensure the next vote isn’t nipped at the finish line.
Alabama was one vote shy of passing legal and regulated sports betting in the state in 2024. With the state legislative session set to adjourn on March 27, there isn’t going to be another vote to try to legalize sports betting this year.
That’s setting up 2026 as the next hope to push through the legislation, and it would appear that the lobbyists who support the legalization of sports betting are seeking to utilize the 2026 election cycle to stock the Alabama legislature with pro-sports betting candidates.
The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) has doled out in excess of $1.25 million to people on the 2026 ballot since the beginning of this year through the Montgomery-based SV&B PAC. The SBA is a Virginia-based lobby group that represents five of the major sportsbooks in the U.S. market: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics, and Bet365.
Top recipients of these funds are Republican State Senate candidate Jay Hovey and Democrat State Senate candidate Doug Harwell. Hovey received $50,000, while Harwell was the recipient of $45,000 in donations.
Republican State House Rep. James Lomax received $30,000 from the SV&B PAC. According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, Lomax is also being backed by Win For America. Win for America is entirely funded by a $2 million donation from DK Crown Holdings, Inc., the corporate entity for DraftKings.
Alabama election candidates suggest that they won’t be influenced by money from betting sites
Those candidates getting the backing from this betting money are insistent that it won’t influence how they cast their vote the next time that a sports betting legalization bill is on the docket before them.
"My position on gaming isn't guided by contributions; it's guided by common sense,”
Hovey told 1819 News. “We've got to admit that it's already happening in Alabama and stop sending our tax dollars over the border to other states. It needs to ultimately be the people's choice."
Despite the donations he’s received, Lomax insists he remains a staunch anti-gambling candidate.
"As I've said before, if such a measure were on the ballot, I would personally vote no,” Lomax said.
Lomax is running against Democrat Mo Brooks, a former member of the U.S. Congress. Brooks is critical of the betting site-supported PACs trying to push their agenda by backing specific Alabama candidates.
“Gambling empires are placing their bets on the legislative candidates they believe they can most easily manipulate to do the wrong thing for Alabama citizens,” Brooks said. “What we're seeing with the laundering of this gambling empire money is just the tip of the iceberg, with the way in which public policy is bought and sold by special interest groups in Montgomery.”
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