From a Biologist to a Lyft Driver: Meet the Individual Prop 27 Donors
Private sports betting companies aren’t the only ones funding the Prop 27 campaign in California as the Nov. 8 election nears.
According to the California Secretary of State’s database, the campaign behind the CA online sports betting ballot initiative has received $6,096.48 from individual donors. A total of 13 contributions added up to $2,500. Then, an undisclosed number of unitemized contributions (below $100) totaled $3,596.48.
The largest donation from an individual, $1,000, came on Aug. 4. There were two $250 donations and 10 $100 donations.
Individual donors had the option of listing their profession and employer. Below is a breakdown:
| Donation Date | Contribution | Employer | Job Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 8, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| July 19, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| July 23, 2022 | $100 | US Express | Truck Driver |
| Aug. 3, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| Aug. 9, 2022 | $100 | UC San Diego | Director |
| Aug. 11, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| Aug. 12, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| Aug. 16, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| Aug. 17, 2022 | $100 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| Aug. 24, 2022 | $100 | Lyft | Driver |
| Aug. 12, 2022 | $250 | OffStage Holdings | CEO |
| Aug. 14, 2022 | $250 | Sol Ecology Inc. | Biologist |
| Aug. 4, 2022 | $1,000 | Not Employed | Not Employed |
| Unitemized Contributions | $3,596.48 | NA | NA |
| Total | $6,096.48 |
So, add a biologist, truck driver, Lyft driver, and investment fund CEO to the list of Californians in support of Prop 27.
The $6,096.48 raised by individual donors accounts for 0.0036% of the total money spent on the Prop 27 campaign — north of $169.3 million. The vast majority of that was raised by seven US sportsbooks.
FanDuel has donated $35,009,850. DraftKings has donated $34,336,084.64. BetMGM, PENN Gaming, and Fanatics have each contributed $25 million. And Bally Bet and WynnBET have each spent $12.5 million.
PROP 26: Is Gambling Addiction for California Native Americans? Would Prop 26 Hurt or Help?
No Donations Since September
The sportsbooks haven’t spent any money on Prop 27 since Sept. 1. That signals what both DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel CEO Amy Howe said last week at G2E in Las Vegas: That they doubt Prop 26 or Prop 27 will pass in the November election, and they’re turning their focus to the 2024 ballot.
Now, is there zero chance California sports betting gets legalized next month? No.
A recent poll from SurveyUSA had 43% of likely California voter respondents say they supported Prop 26 and 37% say they supported Prop 27. However, that was the first poll that showed any real hope of victory for either ballot measure.
Another poll, conducted by UC Berkeley (and with a considerably larger sample size) in September, had 31% of respondents say they favored Prop 26 and just 27% say they favored Prop 27.
Most sports betting industry experts expect both Prop 26 and Prop 27 to fail in this election.
About the Author
