Corporations Increase Lobbying Efforts in Pursuit of Three New York Gambling Permits
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π Published: March 06, 2025 01:36 πΈ Photo Credits: Flickr, CC by 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
Top Spenders Shake Things Up in the Sports Betting Game
It's clear as day, sports betting bigwigs are upping their lobbying efforts. Steve Cohen's group, known for diving in deep with their wallets, splashed their cash around like nobody's business, making headlines as they doubled the spending of the runner-ups! The total spending reached an all-time high of $138 million, leaving infamous casino brands like BetMGM, Caesars, and Wynn in the cold, as they failed to crack the top 10 spending list.
Grant Mitchell [x], former athlete, and sports enthusiast, aims to give you the latest and juiciest scoops in the sports betting world. After joining the professional scene in 2021, he's made quite a splash, working alongside high-profile entities such as Forbes and VSiN, earning himself a solid reputation to boot. When this sports guru isn't knee-deep in research, you'll find him smashing workouts, exploring the city, or camped out in front of the big screen, ready to catch all the day's must-see games.
What's Going On Behind the Curtains?
The Heavyweights
Let's break down the lobbying heavyweights. According to recent disclosures, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe sits at the top of the pile with $230,000 in spending. Vici Properties and DraftKings follow closely behind with $217,500 and $210,000, respectively. Topping it off, Caesars Entertainment rounds out the quartet with $200,000 in spending (as of March 31, 2025). It's worth mentioning that there were 178 clients in the βCasinos/Gamblingβ category with a total spend of $10.6 million through March, so these aforementioned giants are among the top spenders for the quarter [1].
Other Notable Mentions
The Sports Betting Alliance aims high with a $247,500 spend for the year, making them a strong contender on the lobbying front. However, the data doesn't specify whether or not this group spends more than the top single-client quarterly spenders mentioned above [2]. Another notable mention is the NCAA, which poured $270,000 into in-house lobbying, although this figure covers a broader swath of sports, not specifically sports betting concerns [3].
Comparing Apples to Apples
| Lobbyist/Group | Est. Q1 2025 Spend ||------------------|-------------------|| Southern Ute | $230,000 || Vici Properties | $217,500 || DraftKings | $210,000 || Caesars Entertainment| $200,000 || Sports Betting Alliance* | TBD (Annual spend) |
*Sports Betting Alliance is listed as a significant spender, but its Q1-specific ranking is not specified in the available data.
The quest for all-out dominance in the lobbying game continues as industry bigwigs pour cash into the political arena. Stay tuned as we keep you posted on the twists and turns of this thrilling and ever-evolving landscape.
[1] Retrieved late April 2025 from OpenSecrets: https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/[2] Retrieved from Sports Betting Alliance: https://www.sportsbettingalliance.com/[3] Retrieved from NCAA: https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/governance/ncaa-governance-structure
- The online casino sector, which includes giants like DraftKings and Caesars Entertainment, is increasingly investing in lobbying efforts, with Caesars Entertainment alone spending $200,000 on lobbying in the first quarter of 2025.
- Concurrently, the sports betting world is seeing a significant shakeup, with renowned figures like Steve Cohen investing substantial amounts in the industry, prompting a surge in overall spending.
- While the Southern Ute Indian Tribe emerged as the top spender in sports betting lobbying with $230,000 in Q1 2025, other organizations such as the Sports Betting Alliance and the NCAA are also making substantial investments in the sector, aiming to influence the future of sports betting and related business.
