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State of Play’s TL;DR
- The American Gaming Association is turning up the volume in Washington.
- New second-quarter disclosures show the trade group increasing its lobbying activity as Congress weighs gaming-related issues, including sports betting regulation and unregulated prediction markets.
According to the source report, the American Gaming Association (AGA) filed its second-quarter 2026 lobbying disclosure on July 16 and reported $660,000 in in-house lobbying expenses. The group also continued to use outside firms, with Fierce Government Relations reporting $50,000 in quarterly expenses and Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. reporting $60,000 for the quarter.
The spending increase is part of a broader push to influence federal gaming policy while Congress grapples with major questions around sports betting regulation and unregulated prediction markets.
It also points to the experience inside the AGA’s government relations team. Vice President of Government Relations Alex Costello previously worked across five consecutive congresses, while Senior Vice President of Government Relations Chris Cylke previously served as a congressional staffer on the House Judiciary Committee.
AGA seeks voice in discussions on gaming
This is an early signal that the industry sees real stakes in Washington and wants a stronger voice as lawmakers consider gambling-related policy.
That matters because federal discussions can shape the environment around sports betting and other wagering issues, even when the details of specific proposals are still unclear. It’s clear that Congress is dealing with questions the industry views as meaningful enough to justify a larger lobbying effort.
For operators, the message is straightforward: national policy risk and opportunity are getting more attention. The combination of increased in-house spending and continued use of outside firms suggests the AGA wants broad coverage across multiple federal issues rather than a one-off response to a single development.
Based on reporting by Legis1.
