North State Journal recently released its rankings of the top-10 North Carolina lobbyists in 2024. Five of them have ties to gambling expansion.
Since North Carolina legalized online sports betting earlier this year, it’s been a hit so far in the Tar Heel State.
The Journal had plenty of lobbyists to choose from. More than 1,200 organizations have at least one registered lobbyist, and an additional 750 registered as lobbyists or legislative liaisons this year.
Fifty-six NC legislators took part in survey
North Carolina sports betting launched in March with eight online sportsbooks. FanDuel NC has dominated the market so far, with around 50% of revenue in the Tar Heel State.
North State Journal said the top-10 list came after it polled members of the North Carolina House and Senate. They asked legislative leaders for input on which lobbyists were “most effective in influencing legislation in the state.”
In total, 56 members of the 170 total in the North Carolina General Assembly participated in the survey. The survey conducted last month asked members 13 questions.
A total of 133 lobbyists received at least one vote. Less than 4% of all registered lobbyists and liaisons made the cut.
The top-10 North Carolina lobbyists
Here is a look at the Journal‘s list, in alphabetical order:
- Sarah Bales of Brubaker & Associates
- Patrick Ballantine of Ballantine Company
- Hard Brubaker of Brubaker & Associates
- John J. Cooper of Connect C LLC
- John Hardin of Manning Fulton & Skinner
- Jim Harrell of Harrell & Associates, PLLC
- Ches McDowell of Checkmate Government Relations
- David Powers of Powers Strategies, LLC
- Dana Simpson of Smith Anderson
- Zane Stilwell of Stilwell Group Government Affairs
Lobbyists with gambling connections
Of the 10, Ballantine, Brubaker, McDowell, Powers and Stilwell represented various gaming interests in North Carolina.
Patrick Ballantine
Ballantine was one of the lobbyists representing the Sports Betting Alliance. The alliance included big industry names such as FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Fanatics.
According to the Sports Betting Alliance’s website, its goal is to promote legal online and retail sports betting while protecting minors from underage betting.
“Customers deserve access to legal, safe and consumer-protected platforms to place sports bets online.”
In addition to his efforts in sports betting, Ballantine works with clients in the healthcare space.
Previously, Ballantine ran for North Carolina governor. He also spent time as a state senator.
Harold Brubaker
Brubaker is a former member of the North Carolina General Assembly, serving as Speaker of the House from 1995-1998.
Though not listed in the NSJ’s reporting, Brubaker has represented International Game Technology, an international gambling machine supplier with offices in Las Vegas and Providence, Rhode Island.
Ches McDowell
During North Carolina’s quest to legalize online sports betting, McDowell was a major proponent. He represented organizations like the NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, and the Charlotte Hornets.
McDowell told Spectrum News in April that legalizing sports betting would help protect sports’ integrity, promote economic development in the North Carolina area, raise the state’s revenue totals, and stop crime.
“North Carolina has an incredibly rich sports heritage. Without sports betting, [our] teams are at a disadvantage to other states.”
In total, McDowell registered as a lobbyist with more than 60 different entities. Those included organizations in aviation, financial services, health care, and real estate development, along with sports betting.
David Powers
Like Ballantine, Powers was a North Carolina lobbyist representing the Sports Betting Alliance.
Powers formed Powers Strategies eight years ago. His team also represents Blue Cross Blue Shield, Reynolds American, and Imagine Learning.
He also served 10 years in the North Carolina State Senate and 12 years on the UNC Board of Governors.
Currently, he serves on N.C. State’s University Board of Trustees.
Zane Stilwell
Stilwell is a lobbyist that has represented organizations such as Golden Entertainment and Penn Entertainment, which owns ESPN Bet. In total, he represented 17 clients this year.
Other clients outside of the gambling space included Carvana, JPMorgan Chase, Charter Schools USA and Veritas Technologies.
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