Online Gambling Legislation

Causing Legislation to Flop in Congress

Our Client

TDS Public Affairs was hired to run a multi-level campaign to define legislation that would limit competition in the gaming space.

The Issue

One of the world’s richest men and political donors attempted to ban state-regulated online gaming. He lined up a team of elected officials, lobbyists, and public relations specialists to push through this legislation. We were hired to counter the multi-million dollar lobbying and public relations campaign. 

The Challenge

With so many friends in Congress, the primary benefactor of the legislation had his allies working quickly.  Legislation was introduced and a hearing was called shortly thereafter. The deck was stacked against us.

The Plan

We quickly built a broad coalition of opposition ranging from businesses to ideological groups on both sides of the political spectrum. These groups weighed in on the legislation pointing out its flaws.  From coalition letters to opinion pieces online and in targeted newspapers, we built the case that the legislation was flawed. 

We recruited influential advocacy organizations to fight the legislation on Tenth Amendment grounds through various methods, including:

  • Coalition Letters
  • Earned Media
  • Social Media
  • Public Advocacy

Working with opinion leaders and influencers to generate a high volume of articles, opinion pieces, and editorials, we built an online activist army that amplified our messages. With these pieces, we focused on placing these in diverse outlets ranging from local newspapers to national news sites.

The Result

The bill was defeated as members of Congress used material we created to speak out against the legislation. The bill never even got a vote in Committee despite the Chairman’s support.

Our campaign and actions directly resulted in:

  • Over 200 media outlets carrying stories, articles and opinion pieces opposing the bill
  • Dozens of targeted editorials in key congressional districts
  • Nearly 30 outside interest groups joined the opposition
  • Talk radio host interviews
  • Tens of millions of Twitter and Facebook impressions
  • A coalition of diverse organizations who were able to weigh in with Congress

Want to Learn More?

Let TDS work with you to pinpoint your specific needs and help you develop a comprehensive, integrated public affairs solution to help you win.