Caesars Entertainment made $4m (£3m/€3.6m) in contributions to a campaign that aims to convince voters to say no to the Missouri legal wagering initiative backed by the state's professional sports teams.
The ‘Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment’ political committee was formed on 10 September. And, according to records on the Missouri ethics commission (MEC) website, the casino giant funded the campaign on 13 September. The company made three separate contributions under the names of its casinos.
Tropicana St Louis, which is now the Horseshoe Casino, and the Isle of Capri Casino Booneville each donated $1.3m. Harrah’s North Kansas City contributed $1.4m.
Caesars so far is the only casino company in the state to take a clear stance on the issue of legal Missouri sports betting.
The initiative, which will be listed as Amendment 2 on the November ballot, survived a legal challenge last week. It would legalise statewide digital sports betting with platforms..