Online Sports Betting Companies Pouring Millions into Midterm Elections

^{Campaign finance disclosures show that major sportsbook operators have invested heavily in the 2026 election cycle, especially as gaming legislation is a priority in several states. (Photo: Sid Hastings / Alamy)}

With midterm elections in the United States just over three months away, sports betting brands are emerging as some of the biggest campaign donors across the country, according to the latest data from campaign financial disclosures. 

In total, sports betting companies have spent at least $72 million in the runup to the 2026 elections, putting them behind only cryptocurrency and technology firms in terms of overall spend, according to estimates by the watchdog group Public Citizen.

Win for America: The Super PAC Funding Both Sides

The companies have mainly funneled their contributions through Win for America, a super political action committee (PAC), which in turn has funded two smaller PACs: American Future, targeting Democratic candidates, and the American Conservative Fund, targeting Republicans.

According to media reports, DraftKings has led the way by donating at least $34 million to Win for America, with FanDuel close behind at $27 million. Fanatics and bet365 have each contributed approximately $5.5 million to Win for America as well.

The results of these contributions won’t truly be known until after the midterm elections are concluded, and even supporting candidates financially has never been a guarantee they’ll vote your way later – though nobody is naïve enough to think it doesn’t help. But in the early going, the results have been largely positive for the sportsbooks.

Win for America and its affiliated PACs have already been heavily involved in state-level primaries this year. In Georgia, the PAC spent more than $12 million on state races, with 32 of 34 candidates it supported winning their primaries, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Results were more middling in Alabama. While reporters found that Win for America's candidates won in 12 of 17 Alabama legislative primaries, three of its incumbent candidates lost, while only two challengers won. The industry-backed slate might be slightly smaller than hoped heading into the 2026 elections.

Immediate Issues, Long-Term Relationships

The reasons for all this investment vary depending on where the money is heading. In Alabama, sportsbooks are hoping to garner support for gaming expansion, including the legalization of sports betting. Meanwhile, in states like Pennsylvania, Win for America is hoping to fight against efforts to raise taxes on the gaming industry.

In addition, at least some of these companies are likely seeking to counter the growth of prediction markets, which have grown tremendously on the back of sports-based contracts. That relationship is a bit more complicated, as companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel have expressed interest in offering their own prediction-market platforms, putting them at odds with some of their peers in the gaming industry.

But the specific reasons for each donation may not be as important as the overall effort. In the long run, demonstrating that the sports betting industry can be a political force may yield dividends that extend well beyond a single election cycle.

“You might want to be on our good side when the gambling discussion comes up,” Breitbart TV editor Jeff Poor said when explaining Win for America’s motivations in Alabama during the state’s primary elections. “Because this is what we’re doing now. What might we do in the future?”