Sports Betting Firms Have Pushed U.S. Election Spending to at Least $72 Million as Prediction Markets Draw Scrutiny

DraftKings, FanDuel and other online sports betting companies have put at least $72 million into the U.S. midterm elections so far, according to the latest campaign finance data. That makes the sector the third-largest corporate donor in these races, while prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are pulling both attention and competition into a corner of gaming that is suddenly very political.

1. Public Citizen says the sports betting industry now ranks behind only crypto and tech among corporate donors in the legislative elections. The goal is straightforward: back candidates who are more likely to be friendly to the industry’s interests once in office.
2. DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics and the UK’s bet365 have poured money into Win for America, a super PAC focused on legislative races. Win for America has then routed funds to two affiliated PACs, American Future and American Conservative Fund, which target Democratic and Republican state races respectively.
3. In U.S. politics, super PACs can accept unlimited donations from corporations and individuals and spend unlimited sums to support specific candidates, but they cannot coordinate directly with campaigns or make direct donations to them. Win for America launched in late 2023, according to Public Citizen, and the group says the current spending levels are unprecedented for the industry.
4. Rick Claypool, research director at Public Citizen, said Win for America is shaping up to be “another corporate money giant,” comparing it with AI and crypto, which have each spent more than $100 million in legislative elections so far. Win for America and FanDuel declined to comment, while DraftKings, Fanatics and bet365 did not respond to press requests.
5. One concrete example: Win for America spent more than $12 million in Georgia state races through two PACs, showing that this is not just abstract election-season branding. For PSPs and payment processors watching the high-risk space, the signal is clear: sports betting operators are now funding political infrastructure at scale while prediction markets add a fresh regulatory and competitive layer.