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Gambling911.com has the latest gambling news from the great state of Alabama.
Tuberville Gambling Donations Continue to be Under Scrutiny
Alabama's only legal casino is controlled by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. As such, the news that the state's Senator and GOP gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville accepted donations from a sweepstakes casino made headlines, especially in light of Alabama's efforts to prohibit such websites from being accessible to state residents.
Tuberville received a series of big campaign donations last month but few were more controversial than the $150,000 from a Birmingham businessman and $30,000 from an online gambling company, VGW Luckyland Inc., a subsidiary of a huge Australian gambling company.
VGW owns the sweepstakes casino LuckyLand Slots, Chumba Casino and Global Poker.
In February, VGW Chief Executive Officer and founder Laurence Escalante was was charged with aggravated assault, engaging in family violence, destruction of property, and possession of cocaine and MDMA with intent to sell or supply. He is accused of assaulting his girlfriend.
A handful of other U.S. states have either passed laws or are in the process of doing so to prevent sweepstakes casinos from operating. A sweepstakes casino-friendly governor can't hurt in Alabama.
The polar opposite is the case right now. Alabama has become the most litigious state in the U.S. against sweepstakes casinos. Since early 2025, 40+ civil lawsuits have been filed against operators.
Alabama Governor’s Race: Tommy Tuberville Gets $30,000 Donation From Controversial Gambling Company
April 8, 2026
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville received a series of big campaign donations last month but few were more controversial than the $150,000 from a Birmingham businessman and $30,000 from an online gambling company, VGW Luckyland Inc., a subsidiary of a huge Australian gambling company.
Alabama is one of only five states without a lottery. Gambling is illegal in the state and occurs only in facilities controlled by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Just because gambling is illegal in Alabama now does not mean that it will be illegal forever,” said Robert Jarvis, professor of law at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and an expert on gambling and sports law, in an interview with AL.com.
“VGW is looking to the future and hoping to buy good will with a candidate who may in the future be in a position to help change Alabama’s gambling laws.”
Tuberville has said he thinks a state lottery and gambling package should be handled by the legislature, not the governor.
Tuberville’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the contribution.
Gambling911.com's Alabama Top News Stories From the Past
Woman Robs Chick-fil-a, Uses Ill-Gotten Funds to Gamble at Casino, Then Crashes Into Patrol Cars
January 7, 2026
Kaudija Shondrelle Haynes, 32, of Birmingham, Alabama is in custody after allegedly holding up a Chick-fil-a- drive-in-employee.
Police in Leeds, Alabama say they were called to the restaurant on January 2 where Haynes is accused of using mace while in the drive-thru. She then demanded that the employee give her money in a bag. The employee did so and police say Haynes left the parking lot driving recklessly.
Detectives were able to track her location to the Wind Creek Casino in Wetumpka where they presumed she would use the stolen funds to gamble.
Gambling 911 Exclusive: Wind Creek Pulls Plug on Online Sportsbook
July 14, 2025
Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania has terminated its online sports betting operation, Gambling 911 can reveal in an exclusive report.
The casino’s online sportsbook, which was run by British bookmaker Betfred, shut down earlier this month.
The Wind Creek corporation is owned and operated by a small Indian tribe known as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and is headquartered in Alabama.
A Wind Creek spokesman told Gambling 911: “Wind Creek stopped accepting online sports wagers on July 3.
“However, all pending wagers, transaction history and early cash-out options will remain available to patrons until July 31, 2025.
“As for futures bets that were made, all existing wagers that settle on or before July 31, 2025, will be handled as usual.
“Any stakes or winnings eligible will be credited to patrons’ accounts for withdrawal.
“All existing wagers whose settlement date is after July 31, 2025, and if a winner, will be sent via check for their total return to the patrons’ addresses we have on file.”
The spokesman also said: “No decision has officially been made by Wind Creek corporate officials as to whether online sports betting will eventually resume with another bookmaker running the operation or if it has been permanently terminated.”
Owner of Alabama Auto Dealership Latest Sued Under Little Known GA Bookie Law
September 22, 2023
Gambling911.com reported exclusively on how a former Texas Longhorn player had been sued using a quirky Georgia law applied to bookmakers.
That same law is now being applied to a popular Walker County, Alabama auto dealership owner, Gambling911.com can once again report exclusively.
The complaint, filed late last week, lists Edward B. Short of Georgia as the plaintiff and two co-defendants, one of whom owns the car dealership.
This case references a little known state legal code pertaining to gambling contracts (appearing below). Bookies operating in Georgia or those who operate out of state but accept players from Georgia should be made aware of this code. Gambling911.com is the most read website by bookies, Pay Per Head and sportsbook operators, so it is indeed time to become educated, especially considering the time frame of four years recovery time. It is highly recommended to stick to actual Pay Per Head sites, not the so-called Twitter bookies.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
