Who Funded American Future?
The American Future Independent Expenditure Committee was fully funded by Win for America, a super PAC supported by major online sports-betting and gaming companies.
During the reporting period, four organizations contributed a combined $80.65 million to Win for America:
DK Crown Holdings Inc. — $39.15 million
Associated with DraftKings, an online sports-betting, fantasy-sports, and gaming company.
FanDuel Inc. — $27 million
An online gaming company offering sports betting, daily fantasy sports, casino, racing, and related services.
Hillside (Shared Services US) LLC — $8 million
Associated with bet365 and its broader online gaming operations.
FBG Enterprises OpCo, LLC — $6.5 million
Associated with Fanatics Betting and Gaming, which operates sports betting, online casino, and related services.
The campaign-finance filing lists the contributors, dates, addresses, and amounts. It does not provide business descriptions; the affiliations above are based on publicly available information.
Why This Matters in Maryland Politics
Win for America transferred millions of dollars to American Future, which spent more than $3.67 million on independent expenditures in Maryland General Assembly races through October 2026.
American Future supported or opposed candidates in both Democratic primary contests and Republican general-election races, including candidates for influential legislative positions such as:
Senate President Bill Ferguson
Senator Guy Guzzone
Other legislators serving on committees with authority over taxes, budgets, gaming, and enforcement
American Future also opposed several candidates, including:
Hasan Jalisi
Frank M. Conaway Jr.
Raj Goel
Jessica Haire
Stuart Schmidt
Kevin Ford
Barry Beauchamp
Molly McKee-Seabrook was both supported and opposed at different points in the election cycle.
The Potential Policy Stakes
Although DK Crown Holdings and its affiliated political committees have not publicly released a detailed Maryland legislative agenda, the spending may advance several industry interests:
1. Expanding online casino gambling
The companies may benefit if Maryland legalizes online casino gaming, also known as iGaming. Supporting lawmakers who favor legalization could help open a new and highly profitable market.
2. Influencing taxes and regulations
The coalition has said it wants candidates who will approach gaming regulation thoughtfully. Industry observers have also described similar political spending as defensive—intended to prevent higher sports-betting taxes or regulations that could reduce profit margins.
3. Shaping enforcement of online gambling laws
During the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers considered HB 1226, the Maryland Illegal Online Gambling Enforcement Act. The bill targeted unlicensed online gambling operators while exempting licensed sports-betting companies such as DraftKings.
American Future opposed one of the bill’s sponsors, Delegate Frank Conaway Jr., while supporting Senator Guy Guzzone, who chaired the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, where the bill stalled.
The Larger Concern
The central issue is not simply that a PAC spent money in Maryland elections. It is that the PAC was entirely funded by one industry—online sports betting and gaming—and then used that money to influence which local candidates received support or opposition.
That creates a clear public-policy question:
Were these contributions intended to advance the interests of Maryland voters, or to elect officials more likely to support the gaming industry’s business goals?
When a single interest group finances an entire political committee, voters should closely examine:
Which candidates the committee supports
Which candidates it targets
The committees and legislation those candidates may influence
Whether the spending aligns with the public interest or with the donor’s financial interests
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