Sportsbooks Add $29M as Election Fund Reaches $72M
DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and bet365 are financing Win for America, a super PAC established late last year. Federal election records show that the group received $43 million through the first quarter. The four operators then contributed another $29 million during the following three months.
Funding Accelerates in the Second Quarter
DraftKings remains the largest donor, with at least $34 million committed during the current election cycle. FanDuel has provided at least $27 million. Fanatics and bet365 have each contributed $5.5 million.
BetMGM has not donated to the PAC. The operator does, however, work with DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics through the Sports Betting Alliance, an industry group active in federal and state lobbying.
Win for America distributes funds through committees supporting candidates from both major parties. American Future focuses on Democratic races, while the American Conservative Fund backs Republicans.
Super PACs can receive unlimited corporate contributions. They may spend money supporting candidates but cannot coordinate directly with their campaigns.
Georgia Spending Brings Early Wins
Georgia has provided the clearest early test of the betting industry’s election strategy. Groups connected to Win for America spent over $12 million across 34 state legislative races before the primaries. Thirty-two of the supported candidates won.
The state has repeatedly considered gambling expansion, including proposals to legalize online sports betting. The outcome of legislative races could therefore affect whether another bill advances and what form a regulated market would take.
Pennsylvania presents a different issue. Online sports betting already operates in the state, but lawmakers have discussed increasing operator taxes to raise funding for public transportation. Win for America has also directed substantial spending into races there.
Prediction Markets Raise the Stakes
The political push comes as sportsbooks face growing competition from Kalshi, Polymarket, and other prediction platforms. Prediction markets can offer event contracts under a separate regulatory system. In some cases, they have reached customers in states where conventional mobile sportsbooks remain restricted.
Public Citizen now ranks online betting behind only cryptocurrency and technology among corporate donors during the current midterm cycle. The published $72 million figure may also be incomplete. Federal records do not capture every contribution made at the state level or money routed through organizations that do not disclose their donors.
Campaign support cannot secure a favorable vote, and a donation is not evidence of a policy agreement. Still, the scale of the spending changes the industry’s position. When the next legalization bill or proposed tax increase reaches a state legislature, major sportsbooks will arrive with an election network already in place.