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Bonus TL;DR
- Sports betting super PACs spent nearly $8.3 million on 2026 New York political races to push iGaming legislation.
- FanDuel and DraftKings contributed over $3.5 million to New York Future, supporting incumbent Democrats through digital advertisements.
Sports betting industry-backed super PACs have spent nearly $8.3 million on New York political races in 2026, according to New York Focus.
The spending comes as the industry pursues online casino legalization and state regulators consider additional gambling safeguards. Neither effort has reached a final decision: an online casino bill stalled in a Senate committee earlier this year, while proposed sportsbook regulations await a Gaming Commission vote.
FanDuel and DraftKings Back PAC Supporting Democrats
New York Focus reported on October 19 that New York Future, a super PAC funded almost entirely by FanDuel and DraftKings, has spent more than $3.5 million since the June primary.
Most of its spending since September 1 has gone toward online advertisements supporting incumbent Democrats. Those ads largely highlight cost-of-living issues rather than gambling and have registered more than 14 million views across Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube combined.
All candidates supported by New York Future have voted for minor sports betting regulations, according to the report. Since September 1, the PAC has spent just under $240,000 supporting Senator Toby Ann Stavisky.
The industry has also donated close to $2 million to super PACs backing Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James. The Sports Betting Alliance contributed $500,000 to NY Families Together, a new super PAC backing James’s re-election campaign. As of October 18, that group had spent nearly $488,000 on television and digital advertisements.
Online Casino Bill Stalls as Sportsbook Rules Await Vote
New York Focus described legalizing casino-style gambling apps, known as iGaming, as the companies’ ultimate goal. Since 2023, the Sports Betting Alliance has paid eight lobbying firms more than $2 million in total to influence online gambling legislation.
A bill to legalize online casinos failed to advance out of the Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee earlier in 2026. The reported election spending does not establish that legalization will advance or that supported candidates have committed to backing it.
Meanwhile, Hochul proposed measures this spring requiring sportsbooks to identify at-risk bettors and prohibiting them from using artificial intelligence to target customers. The New York State Gaming Commission is expected to vote on those regulations in the coming months, according to the report; no specific vote date is provided.
New York’s mobile sports betting market began in 2022 and has since generated more than $8 billion in gross revenue from over $91 billion in wagers, New York Focus reported.
Public-health concerns remain part of the policy debate. A state comptroller report found that calls to New York’s problem gambling hotline increased 8.5% from 2020 to 2025, with mobile sports wagering the leading reason for calls since 2022.
Source: As reported by New York Focus.
