Missouri-Based Gaming Firm Contributes $5,000 to Virginia Joe Morrissey Senate Campaign

Curo Group, LLC, a company based in Saint Louis, Missouri, with interests in the gaming industry including casinos, lotteries and bingo, made a $5,000 cash contribution on January 11, 2022, to the Morrissey for State Senate 16 Committee. The recipient committee supported Joseph Morrissey in his role as a Virginia state senator representing the 16th district, which covers portions of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George counties along with the city of Petersburg. Morrissey held the seat from 2020 through 2024.

Curo Group maintains a presence as a lobbying client in Virginia through the state’s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council. The company’s Virginia political donations have included additional contributions tracked through public records, such as $10,000 to the Scott for Delegate committee supporting Don Scott. Other reported donations from the firm have gone to candidates including Lamont Bagby and Louise Lucas.

Morrissey previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates before moving to the Senate. His background includes a 2015 conviction on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, for which he received a pardon from then-Governor Ralph Northam in 2022. The donation from the out-of-state gaming entity occurred during Morrissey’s tenure in the Senate amid ongoing discussions in Virginia regarding the expansion and regulation of gaming activities.

Public campaign finance disclosures from the Virginia Department of Elections confirm the timing and amount of the Curo Group contribution to the Morrissey committee. Similar filings detail the firm’s other Virginia recipients in recent cycles. The company’s involvement aligns with its industry focus on gaming operations.