Sportsbook-Backed PACs Restart Ad Effort for Midterm Elections

Political action committees backed by big US sportsbook operators are back on the air with ads as the November 3 midterm elections draw closer. The groups are targeting state-level contests as lawmakers prepare to make choices that could shape the future of the gambling industry. Betting Firms Pour Millions into Political Committees Ahead of Midterms Over the last year, betting companies have poured almost $100 million into a network of political committees funded by DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics and Bet365. The groups aimed at the general elections in the first half of 2026 before pausing their advertising on Meta and Google platforms over the summer, reported Sportico. The American Future PAC rolled out digital ads on October 6. The campaign has since resumed. The committee has poured at least $30,000 into 10 races in Alabama, Illinois, Georgia and Maryland. American Future has also spent heavily on television commercials and direct mail. Committee filings with the Federal Election Commission show that the committee paid Sway about $347,343 for digital advertising in late September. It also paid $194,007 for TV placements through Targeted Platform Media, and $54,920 on mailings run by The Pivot Group. The committee describes itself as a liberal political organization and uses Democratic talking points on issues like immigration and gun control. However, its ads do not mention its ties to the sports betting industry or address gambling legislation directly. American Future targeted candidates inside the Democratic Party during primary elections. The general election strategy is to showcase particular Democrats and criticize Republican rivals. One ad on Facebook and Instagram, for example, targets Maryland Republican Barry Beauchamp over his position on property taxes. Betting Industry Targets State Legislatures Through Political Donations The industry is also backing Republican candidates through the American Conservative Fund PAC, which is funded through the same network. At the time of reporting, however, neither the committee nor its state-level affiliates had resumed general election advertising on Google and Meta platforms. The American Conservative Fund gave $200,000 to Moving Arizona Forward PAC, an Arizona Republican candidate PAC, on September 15. The primary conduit is Win for America PAC, which channels money from sportsbook operators to the various political committees it is affiliated with. DraftKings, Fanatics and Bet365 contributed a combined $9.65 million between July and September, according to its most recent quarterly filings. FanDuel did not take part in that funding round. Win for America then sent $5.9 million to American Conservative Fund and $2.7 million to American Future. The group also disclosed a $800,000 contribution to American Opportunity PAC in October. FanDuel had invested heavily in the network before. Filings showed another $7.5 million investment brought its total donations to Win for America to $27 million by July. The group has directed tens of millions of dollars to political committees supporting gambling industry interests. Previous reporting in April also showed Win for America had spent more than $20 million on primary election campaigns in at least six states. The spending underscores the industry’s focus on state legislatures that ultimately set the rules around sportsbook legality, taxes, and operating conditions. With control of Congress and thousands of state legislative seats up for grabs on November 3, the committees’ renewed advertising could give sportsbook operators another chance to sway the political climate on gambling regulation.