Casino Billionaire’s Donation to Tommy Tuberville Campaign Raises Eyebrows in Alabama

• Casino billionaire Jeffrey Soffer donates $10,000 to Tuberville campaign
  
• Donation reignites debate over Alabama lottery and casino legalization
  
• Out-of-state casino backing raises questions about gambling expansion

College football coach turned Republican US Senator Tommy Tuberville is building a war chest in his bid for the Alabama governorship. But a $10,000 donation to his campaign from Florida-based casino billionaire Jeffrey Soffer has set tongues wagging, AL.com reports.

It’s not that there’s anything illegal about the donation under campaign finance rules, it’s more about what it implies politically in a state with some of the strictest gambling laws in the country.

The contribution came via the Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla., owned by Soffer through his company Fontainebleau Development, the firm behind the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. It’s the first donation by a casino owner to a political campaign in Alabama since 2014, according to AL.com.

The donation has prompted questions about why an out-of-state casino billionaire would back “Coach Tub” unless he sees potential for gambling expansion in Alabama, a controversial issue in the state.

Hot Potato

Over the past 25 years, Alabama lawmakers have repeatedly tried, and failed, to pass bills that would create a state lottery or authorize regulated casinos or sports betting.

Lawmakers must also balance the interests of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the state’s only federally recognized tribe. The Poarch Creeks operate three casinos under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and also fiercely oppose commercial casino expansion.

Tuberville, for his part, is not campaigning as a pro-gambling expansion candidate. He says Alabama voters should decide the issue themselves through a referendum and has shown no interest in pushing legalization himself.

Clarity Needed

Jess Brown, a former professor of Political Science at Athens State University, told AL.com that the donation may prompt Christian groups to seek greater clarity about Tuberville’s position.

Given the saliency of the issue among Alabama voters, all candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and the legislature should make their views about a lottery-only referendum crystal clear during the primary campaigns,” Brown said.

“Amorphous phrases about a ‘comprehensive’ solution to the gambling issue in Alabama has been used in the past and is, in my view, nothing more than evasive language,” she added.

In February, state Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery) introduced a bill titled the “Clean Lottery Act,” which would place a “standalone lottery — untangled from other gambling interests” on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment. Ensler is running for lieutenant governor.