A super PAC linked to DraftKings is unloading more than $1 million on TV and digital ads for Republican legislative hopefuls across Ohio, muscling into contested primaries and potentially shaping who ends up writing the state’s gambling rules. Voters in several districts are already getting hit with the spots on air and online, just in time for the most competitive stretches of the campaigns.
As detailed by Cleveland.com, the Virginia-based American Conservative Fund has poured more than $1,000,000 into backing over a dozen Ohio Republican legislative candidates. That includes about $313,000 in Senate District 1 to boost state Rep. Jim Hoops and roughly $225,000 in House District 96 to help former state Sen. Frank Hoagland.
Federal Election Commission records show the American Conservative Fund reported $500,000 in receipts through the end of 2025, all from a single transfer by a committee called Win For America, and $472,556.99 in disbursements during that period, according to FEC filings. In other words, the group is moving money out almost as fast as it comes in.
Who’s funding the ads?
Following the money trail leads back to Win For America, which campaign-trace reporting shows was seeded with a $2 million transfer from DK Crown Holdings Inc., the corporate entity tied to DraftKings. That transfer is laid out in Popular Information, which notes that Win For America has been a key conduit for gambling-industry political cash.
From there, Win For America has moved money into the American Conservative Fund and other political action committees that are running state-level ad campaigns this cycle, according to those same reports. The result is a layered network of committees that can still trace back to one corporate check, even if it takes a few clicks through disclosure forms to see it.
Why gambling companies are spending here
DraftKings has a very real financial interest in how Ohio sets the rules for products such as prop bets and parlays, so spending aligned with the company on friendly lawmakers could influence future regulations and taxes, according to the reporting. The more flexible and profitable the rules, the better it is for the bottom line of online gambling operators.
Not everyone at the Statehouse is thrilled about that dynamic. State Rep. Gary Click framed the push as a straightforward profit play, telling reporters that “predatory gambling puts money in their pockets at the expense of the Ohio people,” as Cleveland.com reports.
Transparency questions and local reaction
Advocates and watchdogs say the multi-PAC setup makes it tougher for everyday voters to see who is really paying for the barrage of glossy mailers and polished TV spots. Each extra committee in the chain adds one more layer between the original donor and the final ad on screen.
Outlets that have reviewed the filings note that the American Conservative Fund relied on that single, large transfer and that similar networks of gambling-aligned PACs have spent big in other states too, prompting questions about filing and disclosure practices. Coverage by 1819 News and Gaming America has flagged similar spending patterns in Alabama, where large sums flowed through PACs that drew scrutiny over how and when they reported their activities.
What to watch next
All eyes now turn to upcoming FEC updates and state-level ad disclosures as the Ohio primaries approach. New transfers into Win For America or the American Conservative Fund, or fresh independent expenditures in key districts, could quickly scramble the map in a handful of close races.
Representatives for DraftKings and the American Conservative Fund did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to Sportsbook Review. For now, the one thing that is crystal clear is that serious casino money is already on the table in Ohio’s GOP primaries, and it is not shy about making itself heard on voters’ screens.
