U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is publicly denouncing casino expansion, while Texas lawmakers across both parties continue to receive substantial financial backing tied to Las Vegas Sands.
The New York socialist’s comments appeared in a series of social media posts last week opposing the expansion of gambling and warning of its broader societal impacts.
She wrote, “This is sad. I know as a politician these companies are going to spend a billion dollars against me for saying it but [emoji omitted] Pervasive gambling is not good for society. It turns life into a casino, traps people in addiction & debt, surges domestic violence, and fosters manipulation.”
I am opposed. What’s worse in the Bally’s case is that PUBLIC parkland is being used to build it. The local community doesn’t want it either.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2026
Speaking of a casino project in her district, she wrote, “I am opposed… The local community doesn’t want it either.” In another message, she signalled her opposition to multiple casino projects across New York.
Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks come as campaign finance records in Texas show millions of dollars in expenditures from the Texas Sands PAC benefiting a wide range of candidates, including both Republicans and Democrats currently holding office or seeking election.
Top recipients include Republican state Rep. Angelia Orr ($129,000), Republican state Rep. Stan Kitzman ($129,000), Republican state Rep. Ken King ($85,000), Democratic state Rep. Chris Turner ($79,500), Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson ($65,000), Republican state Rep. Angie Chen Button ($59,500), Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson ($59,500), Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner ($55,000), and Democratic state Rep. Mary Ann Perez ($54,500), among dozens of others.
The Dallas Express sent requests for comment to top Republican and Democratic officeholders or nominees listed in the expenditure list regarding their positions on gambling expansion and on accepting Sands-linked funding. Responses were not available by publication time.
Casino Interests Play the Long Game in Texas Despite Legislative Setbacks and Primary Losses
The spending reflects a broader, long-term strategy by casino interests to influence Texas politics despite repeated legislative setbacks.
Casino-backed candidates underperformed in recent primaries, and efforts to advance gambling legislation have stalled, even as the company pledged to continue investing in supportive candidates, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune.
“The long game matters,” a Sands PAC statement said, adding the group intends to continue organizing and spending to expand support for casino legalization in Texas, according to that report.
Despite millions spent, key political barriers remain.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has consistently opposed gambling legislation and previously declined to allow such measures to come to a vote in the Senate, per the Tribune.
Separate reporting has also raised questions about the use of outside groups linked to casino interests to influence local races with less transparency.
A 2025 investigation found that a nonprofit organization tied to Sands interests spent nearly $100,000 in an Irving City Council race while not being required to disclose its donors, according to prior reporting by The Dallas Express.
The group, Lone Star Conservative Action Fund, funded advertising and outreach efforts that exceeded the candidates’ own campaign spending, raising concerns among residents about so-called “dark money” in local elections.
Other pro-Casino political entities are active in the state.
The Texas Defense PAC has spent heavily in the Lone Star State but has focused more on media than on donations to candidates, according to expenditures recorded by Transparency USA.
At the state level, efforts to legalize casino gambling have resurfaced repeatedly.
A proposed constitutional amendment filed in 2025 and supported by Republican State Representative Charlie Geren would have allowed voters to decide whether to legalize casino gaming and sports wagering, though similar efforts have historically faced strong opposition and failed to advance, according to KERA reporting.
Despite this likely being a years-long process, pro-casino operatives have successfully fought these battles in other states, and some related figures are now active in Texas, The Dallas Express previously reported.
Political analysts cited in the Tribune reporting have said the financial stakes for casino operators remain high enough to justify continued spending, even in the face of repeated defeats.
“There’s enough to gain that they’ll continue to spend,” Matthew Wilson, an associate professor of political science at Southern Methodist University, said, according to the Tribune.
Ocasio-Cortez’s opposition places her at odds with that strategy, highlighting a broader national divide over gambling expansion even as financial influence in state-level politics continues to grow.
Here is the full catalog of payees supported by the Las Vegas Sands Casino, supported by Texas Sands PAC, according to data from Transparency USA:
Table 1
| Total Expenditures | Payee |
|---|---|
| $1,200,000.00 | John R Huffman |
| $291,400.00 | Ragnar Research Partners LLC |
| $140,000.00 | Kyle J Morris |
| $129,000.00 | Angelia Orr |
| $129,000.00 | Stan Kitzman Campaign |
| $112,850.00 | Gdc3 Consulting LLC |
| $110,000.00 | Nathan Watkins |
| $100,000.00 | Lisa D Mcentire |
| $100,000.00 | Willie Ng |
| $85,000.00 | Ken King |
| $79,500.00 | Chris Turner |
| $65,000.00 | Nathan Johnson |
| $59,500.00 | Angie Chen Button |
| $59,500.00 | Jared Patterson |
| $59,000.00 | Janie Lopez |
| $55,000.00 | Charles Schwertner |
| $54,500.00 | Mary Ann Perez |
| $54,416.67 | Meeting Street Research LLC |
| $54,000.00 | Liz Campos |
| $54,000.00 | Harold Dutton Jr |
| $54,000.00 | Marc LaHood |
| $54,000.00 | Morgan Meyer |
| $54,000.00 | Venton Jones |
| $50,000.00 | Kelly G Peterson |
| $34,000.00 | Cody Harris |
Table 2
| Total Expenditures | Payee |
|---|---|
| $30,000.00 | Barbara Gervin-Hawkins |
| $29,500.00 | Lacey Hull |
| $29,000.00 | Cecil Bell Jr |
| $29,000.00 | Charlene Ward Johnson |
| $29,000.00 | Jay Dean |
| $29,000.00 | Pat Curry |
| $29,000.00 | Philip Cortez |
| $29,000.00 | Ronald Reynolds |
| $25,000.00 | Odus Evagharu |
| $24,860.00 | Baselice & Associates Inc |
| $21,195.83 | Atchley & Associates LLP |
| $19,500.00 | Judith Zaffirini |
| $15,000.00 | Dawn Buckingham |
| $15,000.00 | Pooja Sethi |
| $15,000.00 | Alan Rocky Thigpen |
| $15,000.00 | Sid Miller |
| $5,000.00 | Ann Johnson |
| $5,000.00 | Carol Alvarado |
| $5,000.00 | Charles Geren |
| $5,000.00 | Erin Zwiener |
| $5,000.00 | Jeff Leach |
| $5,000.00 | John Bucy III |
| $5,000.00 | John W McQueeney |
| $5,000.00 | Joseph Moody |
| $5,000.00 | Paul Dyson |
Table 3
| Total Expenditures | Payee |
|---|---|
| $5,000.00 | Ramon Romero Jr |
| $5,000.00 | Richard Pena Raymond |
| $5,000.00 | Senfronia Thompson |
| $5,000.00 | Terry Canales |
| $5,000.00 | Todd Hunter |
| $5,000.00 | Toni Rose |
| $4,000.00 | Bob Mitchell Campaign |
| $4,000.00 | Brad Bailey |
| $4,000.00 | Chris Spencer |
| $4,000.00 | Jeremy Hendricks |
| $4,000.00 | Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch Campaign |
| $4,000.00 | Ray Callas |
| $4,000.00 | Samantha Lopez-Resendez |
| $4,000.00 | Victor Haddad Campaign |
| $1,039.20 | Thomas Graphics Inc |
| $842.10 | Gavin Massingill Governmental Affairs |
| $186.41 | Aggregated Unitemized Expenditures |
