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Political committees funded by major US sportsbooks are advertising again before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. They are focusing on state races because state lawmakers write the betting rules, Gambling News reported.
DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics and Bet365 provide the funding. The groups paused ads on Meta and Google over the summer, but American Future PAC has restarted them.
American Future begins fall campaign
American Future PAC began paying for digital ads Oct. 6, spending at least $30,000 on state races in Alabama, Illinois, Georgia and Maryland. Federal Election Commission records show:
- About $347,000 paid to Sway for digital advertising in late September
- $194,007 for television placements through Targeted Platform Media
- $54,920 for mailings run by The Pivot Group
The group calls itself liberal, and its ads lean on Democratic talking points on immigration and gun control. They do not mention the betting industry or gambling laws, though federal filings trace the money back to the sportsbooks.
During the primaries, American Future backed some Democrats over others. Now it supports chosen Democrats and attacks Republicans. One Facebook and Instagram ad targets Maryland Republican Barry Beauchamp over his property-tax position.
Republican-aligned fund stays off big platforms
The network backs Republicans through the American Conservative Fund. As of Oct. 19, neither the fund nor its state affiliates had run general election ads on Google or Meta.
The fund is still spending. On Sept. 15, it gave $200,000 to Moving Arizona Forward PAC, which backs Arizona Republicans. Earlier this year, it spent about $1 million on ads in five Ohio House Republican primaries.
How Win for America funnels the money
Win for America PAC takes in the sportsbooks’ money and passes it to the network. DraftKings, Fanatics and Bet365 gave it a combined $9.65 million from July through September, while FanDuel did not contribute that quarter.
In that period, it sent $5.9 million to American Conservative Fund and $2.7 million to American Future. Its October report also shows $800,000 going to American Opportunity PAC, and it ended September with about $945,500 in cash.
Public Citizen reported that the group took in $43 million in the first quarter and $29 million in the second, bringing its total to $72 million through June. Adding the latest quarter puts receipts above $80 million.
- FanDuel had given $27 million by July after a $7.5 million contribution.
- DraftKings had given at least $34 million
- Bet365 and Fanatics $5.5 million each
Public Citizen estimates the sports betting industry is the third-largest corporate donor in the midterms, behind crypto and technology, Reuters reported in July. The group launched late last year, and the spending is unprecedented for the industry.
Public Citizen research director Rick Claypool said then that Win for America “is ramping up to be another corporate money juggernaut.”
Why state legislatures draw the money
States have largely regulated sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in 2018, making legislatures the industry’s key audience. Win for America spent more than $20 million on primaries in at least six states earlier this year.
It has also spent about $12 million in Georgia state races and has invested heavily in Pennsylvania, where lawmakers have discussed raising taxes on online sports betting.
What to watch before Nov. 3
Control of Congress and thousands of state legislative seats are on the ballot, and the races touch issues from legalization in Georgia to tax proposals in Pennsylvania.
The renewed advertising gives sportsbook operators another chance to shape the political climate around gambling regulation. Watch whether American Conservative Fund joins American Future on Google and Meta.
