Three major betting companies, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics, are committing $41 million to the super PAC Win for America, according to recently filed Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports.
The move comes in election year, with all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate up for grabs to form the 120th United States Congress. Huge US states, including Georgia and Texas, are yet to legalize online gambling.
Republican aligned affiliated PAC receives majority of funding
The FEC filings show FanDuel contributed $19.5 million, DraftKings contributed $17.5 million, and Fanatics contributed $4 million to Win for America, which then dispersed the funding to two PACs. The American Conservative Fund (Republican-aligned) received $26.1 million and American Future (Democratic-aligned) picked up $7.25 million.
A political action committee, or PAC, is an organization that raises and spends money to support or oppose candidates, parties or legislation, operating under contribution limits set by the Federal Election Commission.
A Super PAC, by contrast, can raise unlimited funds from individuals, corporations and unions but cannot donate directly to candidates or coordinate with their campaigns, focusing instead on independent political spending.
The American Conservative Fund is now expected to turn its attention to Georgia and Texas and lobby on behalf of the legalized gambling industry. Multimillion-dollar activity, including $6 million in Georgia and $3.5 million in Texas, suggests there is hope for a legal framework to be established in either or both states.
Beyond state committee funding, the PAC has spent heavily on campaign operations and voter outreach, including more than $2 million to Del Cielo Media, over $1 million to Advocacy Marketing Partners and $1.3 million to Targeted Victory.
It has also directed hundreds of thousands of dollars toward polling and research, including payments to Guidant Polling & Strategy.
Recent efforts to legalize sports betting in Georgia go down in flames
Political lobbyists for the gambling industry have their work cut out in both states, which sit in the Bible Belt, where evangelical Christian groups have historically opposed gambling on moral grounds. Any change is particularly difficult conservative legislatures wary of expansion.
Indeed, in March this year, a bill to legalize sports betting in Georgia went down in flames in the state House, after failing to hit the requisite number of ballots ahead of a key legislative deadline. The measure needed 120 votes to pass but only received 63. The no votes were 98.
House Resolution 450 would have directed gambling proceeds into a dedicated fund for pre-K and other education programs, with a share reserved for addiction prevention and treatment initiatives.
However, recent comments by elected representatives could explain the focus of PACs on Georgia, in particular. Midway Democratic state Rep. Al Williams has voiced his support for more regulated gambling in the state, but urged his colleagues to vote against the measure as he said his party had no say in its implementation.
On the house floor back in March, he said: “This is in need of bipartisan support, and to get bipartisan support, you need to let the folks on this side of the aisle have some say on how the money is going to be divided. The last time I was handed a plate of food and told ‘Eat this,’ I was quite young and didn’t have any choice. Since then, I get to decide what to eat.”
Republican proponent of legal gambling, Rep. Alan Powell, urged those on his side of the aisle to vote it down because it did not go far enough. Instead, he wants to see the state develop a resort-style complex of casinos that can rival other gambling destinations around the U.S.
Defensive efforts to protect gambling legislation in Pennsylvania
The American Conservative Fund has also donated $3 million to Win for Pennsylvania as efforts to increase the burden on betting operators gather pace in the Keystone State. Lawmakers are considering raising taxes, which are currently set at 36% of gross gaming revenue, which is a rate exceeded only in states such as New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Oregon and Illinois.
The state collected an estimated $2.8 billion in gambling taxes during 2025 (both offline and online combined), according to data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). Any increase in the tax burden will likely turbo-charge those profits.
Predictably, the industry is pushing back. The Sports Betting Alliance is encouraging bettors to sign a petition to protect legal online betting. They state: “Pennsylvania already has some of the highest tax rates on legal online betting. Raising them even higher would hurt your betting experience, stifle innovation, and push players toward the illegal market, risking both state revenue and vital consumer protections.”
However, the state has shown signs of anti-gambling sentiment. Last April, the PGCB told lawmakers at a House Gaming Oversight Committee hearing that it had issued 18 cease-and-desist notices to companies providing unlicensed online gaming to Pennsylvania residents via Sweepstakes Casinos.
At the time, PGCB Chief Counsel Steve Cook said they were targeting sites “not obligated to be tested for fairness to the patron, nor are the sites obligated to provide responsible gaming services, age verification, or other consumer protections.”
