In Nevada, the gubernatorial race between incumbent Steve Sisolak and challenger Joe Lombardo is beginning to heat up, and so far, the state’s casino industry has contributed to both sides, according to campaign finance records.
Since the start of 2021, Sisolak is slightly ahead in terms of gaming contributions, having tallied just under $950,000 between his campaign and political action committee (PAC). Lombardo’s campaign and PAC currently sit at about $730,000 for the same time period.
Billy Vassiliadis, a well-known political consultant in the state, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that by and large, the gaming industry “tends to be pro-incumbent, especially if the experience has been generally good in the prior term.”
According to Vassiliadis, it’s common practice for gaming companies to donate to both candidates of an election, especially for high-profile positions such as governor. He also noted, however, that it is not uncommon for companies to have differing opinions on state-specific races.
Under state law, campaign donations from individuals and corporations are capped at $5,000 per election, but there are no restrictions on how much can be donated to candidates’ PACs. Donations in excess of $1,000 must be reported to the state.
For Sisolak, Apollo Global Management, which operates The Venetian in Las Vegas, is his biggest gaming donor. Between campaigns and PACs, the asset management firm has given over $200,000 to Sisolak thus far. Caesars Entertainment is second, having given about $90,000.
Lombardo, on the other hand, has seen his biggest casino contributions come from Golden Entertainment, owners of the PT’s Pub chain as well as the Strat in Las Vegas. Golden has donated just under $100,000 to the Clark County sheriff’s campaign and PAC so far. Boyd Gaming is second at $30,000, although the company also donated more than that to Sisolak.
Despite Sisolak’s lead to this point, Vassiliadis noted that Lombardo is about as tough a challenger as an incumbent can face, given his prior experience with law enforcement, which often works closely with casino operators.
Most large companies, as mentioned by Vassiliadis, are contributing to both candidates, but the amount of the donations themselves still favor Sisolak to this point.
Surprisingly, however, most of the smaller, local casinos are taking more of a centrist approach—Ellis Island, Longhorn Casino and the El Cortez all gave identical contributions to both sides.
