Sportsbook-backed super PACs ramp up spending ahead of 2026 midterm general elections

A network of super PACs receiving funding from DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bet365 is resuming political activity ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress and thousands of state legislative seats. The PACs, which have collectively taken in nearly $100 million from betting companies over the past year, had been inactive on major digital platforms through the summer but began running ads again in early October. According to transparency records, the sportsbook-linked American Future PAC launched digital campaigns targeting state races in Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, and Maryland, and also appears to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV and mailer outreach. The PAC presents itself as a grassroots liberal organization and promotes or attacks candidates without any mention of gambling, even though its funding comes entirely from the sports betting industry. The operators also back a parallel Republican-oriented PAC called American Conservative Fund, with Win for America — the central funding vehicle — distributing tens of millions in the latest quarter between the two sides.

To resonate with voters, American Future cosplays as a grassroots liberal group, adopting Democrat talking points on hot-button issues, such as immigration and gun control, even though the organization's real purpose has nothing to do with those subjects.
From Sportico

Why it matters

For brands: Sportsbook operators are deploying significant undisclosed political capital to shape state-level gambling regulations and tax rates that directly affect their bottom lines.

For media: The PACs are running coordinated digital, TV, and mailer campaigns without disclosing their sports betting ties, raising transparency questions relevant to political advertising coverage.

For athletes: State lawmakers set the rules that govern where and how sports betting operates, so this political spending could affect the regulatory environment athletes and leagues operate within.

Read the full story at Sportico

Sources

Sportico · Dan Bernstein: Pro-Betting Super PACs Reawaken Before General Election

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