SecState’s Office Responds to Coalition Re: Gambling PAC
Secretary Wes Allen’s office to the Coalition about gambling money in this election, possible campaign finance law violations: “No Comment”
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen’s office has responded to a letter from a Coalition of several conservative groups and individuals with “ this office does not comment on…any review, complaint, or referral,“ as such responses might compromise the integrity of any ongoing investigation.
As reported yesterday, a Coalition of conservative groups and individuals sent a formal letter to both Secretary Allen and Attorney General Steve Marshall, requesting that a review and investigation into “widely reported allegations involving gambling or related money,” being used in political campaigns across the State, and possible violations of Alabama‘s campaign finance laws. That letter, dated May 5, requested a response within 10 days of its receipt.
On Friday, May 15, Eagle Forum of Alabama announced that they had received a response from the Secretary of State’s office, dated May 14. That response letter said, in part, that:
“When information is received that may indicate potential criminal violations of law, the Office reviews such information and refers matters to the proper authorities for further evaluation, such as the Alabama Attorney General, The Alabama Ethics Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office also stands ready to assist with any investigation as requested within the scope of its statutory authority. To protect the integrity of any criminal investigation, this Office does not comment on or confirm the existence of any review, complaint, or referral, even to complainants as doing so could compromise the integrity of any related investigation.”
This letter was signed by Michael L. Jones, General Counsel, and is attached below.
ALPolitics.com also reported that an open letter expressing similar concerns about the actions of the American Conservative Fund (ACF), dated May 13 was sent to Mr. Allen’s office. This letter, signed by eight Republican candidates for the Alabama House and Senate, pointed out that the ACF was bankrolled by gambling interests and did not appear to be filing the appropriate reports with the Secretary of State’s office. On Friday, May 15, ALPolitics.com reached out to signers of that letter for comment. None of the candidates contacted had received any notifications or contact from the Secretary’s office as of close of business day and week.
As of this writing, ALPolitics.com is not aware of any response from the office of Attorney General State Marshall to the Coalition letter, or to any candidate who signed the open letter.
An examination of State and federal campaign finance reports appears to confirm many of the issues raised by both letters. The ACF is a federal PAC which is funded by Win for America — a group that itself is funded by DK Crown Holdings (DraftKings), FanDuel Inc. and FBG Enterprises OPCO LLC, a “global digital sports platform.”
The ACF has reimbursed a Montgomery-based LLC for “Political Strategy Consulting” on three separate occasions. Sharing the same Montgomery address as that LLC is an Alabama PAC, SV&B PAC. SV&B has been filing both monthly and weekly campaign finance reports, and appears to be in compliance with Alabama’s filing regulations. SV&B has contributed heavily to numerous campaigns in this and past cycles, and according to their filings, the bulk of its funding has come from the Sports Betting Alliance: DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, BETMGM and bet365.
Since April of 2025, SV&B has received a total of $1,900,000 from the Sports Betting Alliance.
Among the candidates and campaigns who have been recipients of donations from SV&B is Wes Allen’s current campaign for Lt. Governor. In the May 14 letter of response to the Coalition, no mention of this contribution is made.
ALPolitics.com has reached out to the Wes Allen campaign for comment on this issue, and we have offered Mr. Allen the opportunity for an interview to discuss the matter and share his thoughts in his own words. We have also offered to members of the Coalition and candidates the chance to respond with individual comments.
We invite candidates or groups involved in this issue to send comments or opinion pieces to News@ALPolitics.com. We cannot promise to publish every one, but we will make every reasonable effort to post appropriate and representative samples of the comments we receive.
This is a developing story.
