Alabama Lieutenant Governor Candidate Expresses Support for Lottery, Sports Betting
Posted on: December 29, 2025, 09:03h.
Last updated on: December 29, 2025, 10:31h.
- A Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in Alabama is embracing gaming
- Alabama Rep. Phillip Ensler thinks it’s time to authorize a state-run lottery
A candidate seeking to become the first Democrat to hold the office of lieutenant governor in Alabama in 16 years says he would encourage the Legislature to authorize a lottery, and possibly, sports betting.
Alabama Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery) is an atypical legislator in the Cotton State. The first Jewish lawmaker in Alabama in more than four decades, Ensler is also among the youngest elected officials in the State Capitol in Montgomery.
Ensler, who only assumed office in November 2022, is now seeking the state’s second-highest office. Encouraged to run by former US Sen. Doug Jones (D-Alabama), who is running for governor, Ensler says he’d change how the lieutenant governor exercises influence.
In recent interviews with the Alabama Reflector and Alabama Political Reporter, Ensler pledged to use the office as a “bully pulpit” to command attention and shape public opinion. Ensler’s agenda, he says, would focus on real problems instead of book bans, DEI, and the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. One such issue would be stopping Alabamians from crossing state borders to play the lottery.
Alabama Lottery
Alabama is bordered by Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Each of the four states has a state-run lottery, with Florida and Georgia’s lottery operations among the richest in the nation.
Ensler believes Alabama lawmakers should pass legislation to initiate a constitutional ballot referendum to allow the Cotton State to reap the same financial and societal benefits that lotteries deliver. Such revenue could help better fund teachers and Medicaid.
I hear from people all over the state. Democrat, Republican, white, black, poor, more affluent, who say it’s crazy that we don’t have a state lottery,” Ensler told the Alabama Political Reporter. “People cross over state lines to buy lotto tickets, and we’re missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used for education or healthcare.”
In nearby Louisiana, a similarly populated state, the state lottery has generated almost $5 billion in state revenue since its inception in 1991. The Louisiana Lottery primarily benefits food assistance programs.
Alabama is also one of only 10 states that do not have legal sports betting. Alabama additionally does not permit commercial casinos, though the Poarch Band of Creek Indians operates Class II electronic bingo-based gaming at Wind Creek properties.
Democrats Face Long Odds
Alabama is deeply red, with the state voting Republican in each presidential election since 1976. The legislature has been controlled by Republicans since 2011.
With Gov. Kay Ivey (R) term-limited, the 2026 gubernatorial front-runner is US Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). The popular Republican, who ousted Jones in the 2020 election, is hoping to return home to succeed Ivey. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008.
Ivey won the 2022 general election with 66.9% of the vote. Yolanda Flowers, the Democratic nominee, secured just 29.2% of the vote.
Though the 2026 midterms are expected to be a referendum on President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, the Republican candidates for governor and lieutenant governor will likely be the betting favorites in Alabama.
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