Five Virginia state senators who crossed party lines to support online casino legalization each received $100,000 campaign contributions from the Sports Betting Alliance after the 2026 legislative session.
Those contributions were first reported by veteran Virginia political journalist David Poole.The donations totaled $500,000 and went to:
- Sen. Christie Craig
- Sen. Danny Diggs
- Sen. Emily Jordan
- Sen. Todd Pillion
- Sen. Glen Sturtevant
The five are all Republicans who supported Sen. Mamie Locke’s Virginia online casino bill this past session.
The National Association Against iGaming called out the contributions last week, arguing they illustrate the industry’s growing influence before another expected legalization push in 2027. Membership includes land-based gaming interests such as The Cordish Companies, Churchill Downs, Monarch Casino Resort and JACK Entertainment, all of which offer some form of online casino and/or sports betting themselves.
Donations are largest of their careers
The SBA’s $100,000 checks arrived about four months after the Senators broke with their caucus to vote for SB 118, the Locke-sponsored online casino proposal.
For each of the five senators, the contribution represented the largest single donation from a corporation or individual in their political careers, Poole reported. Jordan told Poole that no individual, organization or business would affect her vote.
The SBA is an industry advocacy group whose members include bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel. It supports regulated online sports betting and iGaming.
Locke also received a $100,000 contribution from the SBA after the session.
NAAiG calls out donations
NAAiG spokesman Oliver Barie said the donations should not overshadow what the organization describes as the risks of putting “a casino in their pocket” for every Virginian.
“No political contributions, no matter how eye-popping, are worth the harm that will be inflicted on Virginians by having 24-7 access to a casino in their pocket,” Barie said in a statement.
The organization argues that broad online casino access increases problem gambling risks, accelerates losses and creates particular risk for young men. Those claims reflect NAAiG’s advocacy position and rely in part on its own Virginia iGaming impact report and commissioned materials.
Virginia online casino bill fell short
Virginia did not legalize iGaming in 2026, but the issue moved substantially further than it had in prior sessions. The Senate passed SB 118 by a 19-17 vote, while the House advanced its own proposal, HB 161, by 67-30.
The two chambers never reached agreement on a unified bill before adjournment, leaving online casino gambling illegal in Virginia. The proposals would have allowed Virginia’s land-based casinos to partner with and launch up to three online casino brands each, with the Virginia Lottery Board handling regulation.
The final versions contemplated a 20% tax on online casino adjusted gross revenue, up from an initial 15% proposal, along with a $2 million platform fee and $500,000 operator license fee.
Virginia online casino fight to continue
The contributions arrive as Virginia’s gaming industry becomes a larger political force. Gaming donations rose to $5.2 million in the 2024-25 election cycle, second only to electric utilities among industries tracked by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project, according to Poole’s analysis.
For iGaming backers, the 2026 session proved there are enough votes to keep a serious bill alive, even if there were not enough to reconcile competing House and Senate language. For opponents, it confirmed that the industry is prepared to spend heavily ahead of another push.
The 2027 session is likely to bring the same fundamental debate back to Richmond about whether Virginia should add regulated online casinos to a gaming market that already includes retail casinos, sports betting and lottery products.
