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Five Republican state senators in Virginia broke with their party during the 2026 legislative session to support a bill legalizing online casinos. Four months later, each received the largest single campaign contribution of their political career.
The Sports Betting Alliance, a trade group representing major sportsbook operators, gave $100,000 to the campaign fund of each of the five lawmakers, according to campaign finance disclosures reported by veteran Virginia political journalist David Poole in his Poole Report newsletter.
The timing has drawn criticism from a rival gambling coalition that opposed opening Virginia’s market to real-money online casinos, setting up another fight when lawmakers return in 2027.
Records show the largest checks of their careers
The recipients were:
- Sens. Christie Craig of Chesapeake
- Danny Diggs of York County
- Emily Jordan of Isle of Wight County
- Todd Pillion of Abingdon
- Glen Sturtevant of Colonial Heights
All five are Republicans who supported Sen. Mamie Locke‘s online casino proposal, Senate Bill 118, during this year’s session. Locke, the bill’s Democratic sponsor, also received a $100,000 contribution from the alliance after the session ended.
The measure had little margin for error. The Senate voted to kill it in February, 19-20, before reviving and passing it on a second try, 19-17. In both votes, the same five Republicans crossed party lines to support it.
For each of the five, the $100,000 checks were the largest single donations they had ever received from a corporation or individual, Poole reported. For Jordan, it was four times the largest corporate check she had received in her nine-year political career.
Jordan said the size of the donation did not concern her. “I’ve always made my decisions based on what I feel is right,” she told Poole, adding that no person, group or entity would influence her votes. Craig, Diggs, Pillion and Sturtevant did not respond to Poole’s requests for comment.
A Sports Betting Alliance spokesman defended the timing in a written statement to Poole, saying the group supports lawmakers nationwide who back consumer protections in regulated gaming markets and donates to candidates on both sides of the aisle.
The Sports Betting Alliance’s members include bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel. The group advocates for regulated online sports betting and casino gaming across the country.
Rival gambling coalition calls donations a political red flag
The National Association Against iGaming criticized the contributions last week, arguing they show how much financial support the gambling industry is prepared to put behind another legalization push. Its members include land-based operators such as:
- The Cordish Companies
- Churchill Downs
- Monarch Casino Resort
- JACK Entertainment
Several of those companies already operate their own online casino or sports betting products in other states.
NAAiG spokesman Oliver Barie said the donations shouldn’t distract from what the organization sees as the broader risks of legalization, warning against giving residents around-the-clock access to “a casino in their pocket,” regardless of how much the industry spends on lobbying and political campaigns.
The group argues that widespread online casino access could increase problem gambling, accelerate personal losses and create particular risks for young men. Those positions are based largely on its own commissioned research and a Virginia impact report.
Online casinos remain illegal despite dramatic late votes
Virginia came close to legalizing online casinos in 2026 but ultimately fell short, extending a losing streak for the industry. The bills survived until the final day of the session in dramatic fashion:
- The House initially voted to kill its version, House Bill 161, 46-49, before House Democrats caucused behind closed doors and reversed course, passing it 67-30.
- The Senate passed SB 118 by the narrower 19-17 margin.
Lawmakers from the two chambers ultimately failed to agree on a unified bill before adjournment, leaving online casino gambling illegal in Virginia.
Under the proposals, the state’s existing land-based casinos would have been allowed to partner with online operators and launch up to three internet casino brands each, with the Virginia Lottery Board overseeing regulation.
Lawmakers had also agreed on a 20% tax rate on adjusted gross revenue from online casinos, up from the 15% rate considered earlier in the process, along with a $2 million platform fee and a $500,000 license fee for operators.
Industry lobbying hit $2.4 million ahead of 2027
The donations come as gambling companies become a larger force in Virginia politics. According to the Poole Report newsletter, gaming industry contributions to state legislative candidates reached $5.2 million during the 2024-25 election cycle, second only to electric utilities among industries tracked by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.
The industry also spent $2.4 million on lobbying and entertaining lawmakers from May 2024 through April 2025, more than any other industry over that period. A decade ago, by comparison, gaming companies donated just $17,000 to Virginia legislative candidates statewide.
Supporters of legalization view the 2026 session as evidence that a serious path toward approval exists. Although lawmakers failed to reach a final agreement, the House and Senate votes showed growing support for expanding Virginia’s gambling market.
Opponents see the same outcome differently, arguing that the industry’s willingness to spend heavily — and its five new six-figure checks to rank-and-file senators with no leadership titles — shows how much effort companies are putting into changing the political landscape.
Virginia lawmakers are expected to revisit the issue during the 2027 session. The central question will remain the same: whether the state should add regulated online casinos to a gambling market that already includes retail casinos, sports betting and lottery products.
