US Sportsbooks Pour $48M into Super PAC to Defend Sports Betting Against Prediction Market Threat

US Sportsbooks Mobilise $48M in Political Spending to Lock In Sports Betting Before Prediction Markets Do

The four largest US sports betting operators have pooled a record $48 million into a political action committee — Win for America — as part of a coordinated push to legalise sports betting in states that still block it, before prediction market platforms can capture those markets under federal CFTC regulation.

What Happened

Axios reported on April 9, 2026 that DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bet365 — via the Sports Betting Alliance, their collective trade body — have funded Win for America with $48 million. The PAC has already deployed more than $20 million in six states during primary elections, including Texas and Georgia, where sports betting is not yet legal. The stated political objective is to elect state legislators and governors who will advance sports betting legalisation. The PAC plans to engage in up to 15 additional states through November 2026, including Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, and Alabama.

Why It Matters

The funding is explicitly tied to prediction markets. DraftKings and FanDuel have both launched their own CFTC-regulated prediction market products in late 2025, but those products generate different revenue streams than licensed sportsbooks. The operators' fear is that in states where sports betting has not been legalised, prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket — which operate federally rather than state-by-state — will become the de facto sports wagering product before states vote to legalise. If that happens, the state-tax-sharing model that makes sportsbook market access commercially viable collapses. The $48M is insurance against that scenario.

Industry Context

Prediction markets have signed sponsorship and data deals with the MLB, NHL, MLS, UFC, and LaLiga in 2026, eroding sportsbook sponsorship exclusivity across major leagues. The Win for America PAC is the sportsbook industry's most direct response to date: a nine-figure political investment designed to lock in state-level legalisation before the prediction market window closes.