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The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), alongside five state senators, is on the spot over a huge political contribution tied to the ongoing push to legalize online casinos in Virginia. The National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) and other watchdog organizations raised alarm over $500,000 in political donations to five Republican senators who crossed party lines to support Sen. Mamie Locke’s online casino bill during the 2026 legislative session.
The SBA donated $100,000 to each of the five senators, including Sens. Christie Craig, Danny Diggs, Emily Jordan, Todd Pillion, and Glen Sturtevant. The donations were received about four months after the Senators broke ranks to vote for AB 118.
Growing influence
The NAAiG highlighted contributions to what it describes as the iGaming industry’s growing influence over lawmakers amid a push to legalize online casinos. “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,” said NAAiG spokesman Oliver Barie.
The organization warns lawmakers about the risks of what it terms “putting a casino in the pocket of every Virginian.” It also cites the negative impacts of widespread online gambling, including problem gambling and financial loss. Notably, the organization has a report and commissioned materials on the potential impacts of iGaming in Virginia.
Notably, the donations were the largest single political contributions from corporations or individuals for each of the five lawmakers. Veteran Virginia political journalist David Poole first reported on the political contributions. Notably, Poole’s analysis based on data from the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project shows that political donations from the gaming industry reached $5.2 million during the 2024-2025 election cycle, making the industry the second-highest spender after the electric utilities industry.
In a similar fashion, the SBA also donated another $100,000 to Sen. Locke. Notably, the Alliance also contributed a separate donation of $500,000 to support the gubernatorial campaign for Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger.
The NAAiG comprises various land-based casinos, including Churchill Downs, The Cordish Companies, JACK Entertainment, and Monarch Casino Resort. Interestingly, all members offer some form of online casino or sports betting. In contrast, members of the SBA include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, and bet365. The NAAiG opposes the expansion of online casino gambling, while the SBA supports regulated online sports betting and iGaming.
The push to legalize online casinos in Virginia
The push to legalize online casino gaming in Virginia stalled during the 2026 General Assembly legislation after the Senate and House failed to pass a unified bill before adjournment. The proposals would have allowed land-based casinos in the state to partner with online casino operators and launch up to three brands each. The platforms would pay a tax revenue of 20%, up from an initial 15% proposal, as well as a $2 million platform fee and $500,000 operator license fee.
Notably, the Senate passed SB 118 by a vote of 19-17, while the House passed its own separate bill, HB 161, by a vote of 67-30. However, the bills had glaring differences in terms of regulatory oversight, tax revenue distribution, and job loss impacts. A bicameral committee failed to reconcile these differences. As a result, both bills stalled and died when the session ended in March 2026.
Overall, the 2026 session proved that there are enough votes to pass an online casino bill. Notably, both bills contained reenactment clauses, meaning that they must be introduced again in the 2027 legislative session. However, any potential iGaming launch would be pushed to 2028 or later.
