Florida Campaign Donations Signal Possible Gaming Expansion

The Florida gubernatorial primary is set for Aug. 18. Gaming operators and prediction markets are shelling out some big bucks in that race and others, possibly indicating a move toward expansion in the coming years.

By the end of July, donations from gaming interests reached a record $12.2 million in Florida races, according to the Tampa Bay Times. About 75% of that total was given by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The tribe owns and operates the Hard Rock casino and online gaming brand, which includes a sports betting monopoly in the Sunshine State.

Companies like FanDuel, DraftKings, Kalshi, and others have also spread around the cash donations. That could indicate that they have a goal of entering Florida’s gaming market.

Prediction markets have battled in courts with gaming regulators in several states, and that eventually could play out in Florida. The more money traded on the markets means fewer dollars going to the state from Seminole sports betting revenue, according to gaming and sports betting attorney Daniel Wallach.

“The next battleground is prediction markets and online gaming,” he said. “It’s hardly shocking that politicians accept money from both sides of the debate.”

Majority Of Gambling-Related Donations Go To Donalds Campaign

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) struck a deal with the Seminoles in 2021, allowing the tribe to exclusively offer online sports betting in the state. In turn, the state is guaranteed at least $500 million in annual revenue payments over 30 years.

That deal led to state and federal lawsuits that were eventually resolved in 2024.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) is the frontrunner in the race for governor. He’s received about 50% of the donations from gambling interests. None of the Democrat candidates have received close to that amount.

Donalds’ campaign said receiving donations from gaming interests doesn’t mean he would act on behalf of those groups if elected.

“Byron Donalds answers to no one but the people of Florida,” senior campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez said. “Byron will always make policy decisions that are in the best interest of our citizens and that abide by the constitution and laws of the land.”

Democrat gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Rep. David Jolly has received far fewer gaming contributions. He said groups like the Seminoles and major donors that have spent big on Donalds’ campaign hope to have a major say on policy in the state if he is elected.

“All of them are funding Byron Donalds,” Jolly said at a Democrat fundraiser in Tampa last weekend. “They don’t care about Byron Donalds. They want to make sure that they have more power than we do. And they’re using Byron Donalds to do it.”

Will Florida Enter The Prediction Market Fight?

Other companies and gaming entities ponying up campaign cash in various races include PrizePicks, Caesars Entertainment, the Sports Betting Alliance sportsbook trade group, and Robinhood Markets.

Robinhood has expanded beyond stock trades to also include prediction markets. The company told the Times that it sent $200,000 to Donalds because the brand “remains focused on preserving and expanding access to the financial markets.”

Could prediction market legalization be a compromise for allowing the Seminoles to operate online casino gaming? That remains to be seen, but the group has indicated expansion into that arena is a goal.

“I think that if the [sports betting] case was resolved in our favor, we would then have to reinitiate conversations with the governor’s office, the House and the Senate,” Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen said in 2024.

“And then that becomes a political process that we would navigate through. Certainly, the polling suggests that the citizens of the state of Florida would like to have it, but you have to go through the process.”

Unlike New Jersey, Nevada, and New York, state officials in Florida have yet to weigh in on the prediction market issue.

Tribe Donates To Crist In St. Petersburgh Mayor Race

The Seminoles haven’t commented on their campaign spending, but the tribe has donated $50,000 to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D), who is running for St. Petersburg mayor.

Current Mayor Ken Welch, who is running for re-election, has voiced concerns about the donation to Crist. Some think the tribe might have designs on building a casino in the area.

“It is a concern to see the Seminole Tribe make a single contribution in a St. Petersburg race that’s more than all the money that some other candidates have raised,” Welch said. “It’s a dangerous moment.”

Crist does have some history with the tribe. As a Republican governor in 2007, Crist reached a 25-year gambling compact with the Seminoles to allow slot machines and banked card games like blackjack at tribal casinos in exchange for millions in revenue sharing.

The Florida Supreme Court, however, ruled that the agreement needed legislative approval. The deal was later revised and approved by the Legislature.

Florida Gaming Campaign Spending