{"id":491756,"date":"2026-06-23T03:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/?p=491756"},"modified":"2026-06-22T17:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T23:01:24","slug":"sports-betting-money-colorado-legislative-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/23\/sports-betting-money-colorado-legislative-races\/","title":{"rendered":"Sportsbooks have spent about $1.5M on Democratic, Republican statehouse primaries in Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Groups funded by some of the nation\u2019s largest sports betting companies have spent about $1.5 million in Colorado\u2019s statehouse primaries this year, the majority of it on Democratic contests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unclear exactly why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state-level super PAC American Future has spent roughly $1.25 million alone on Democratic legislative primaries in Colorado. It\u2019s funded by a federal super PAC of the same name that has received millions of dollars from the sportsbooks DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the GOP side, $250,000 in federal PAC money originating from DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics has flowed into a state group called the Colorado Conservative Leadership Fund, which is helping more mainstream Republicans beat their more hard-line GOP opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times reports<\/a> the three companies are planning to spend as much as $41 million on state legislative races across the country this year. The Times reports that money is aimed at limiting taxation and regulation of sports betting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nearly $2M of dark money has flooded into Democratic statehouse primaries in Colorado<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u25b6 FULL STORY\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“These organizations seek candidates who will thoughtfully approach regulation and ensure legal sports betting can continue to support communities through billions in tax revenue and jobs across America,” a spokesperson for the coalition told<\/a> Axios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voters allowed sports betting in Colorado and approved an associated taxation scheme that primarily raises money for water projects by passing ballot measures in the 2019<\/a> and 2024<\/a> elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, Colorado\u2019s legislature passed a bill prohibiting online sportsbooks from sending push notifications or text messages encouraging bets or deposits, banning the use of credit cards to fund sports betting accounts, and limiting bettors to six deposits per day. It also prohibits sportsbooks from targeting people under age 21 with advertising and requires operators to share betting data with the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The measure, Senate Bill 131<\/a>, also would have banned so-called prop bets, which are wagers on things like individual player performance, before that provision was stripped out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the money American Future is spending on Democratic statehouse primaries doesn\u2019t appear to be in response to that new law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dollars are being spent primarily on open contests, where there is no incumbent. In the few races with incumbents that American Future is spending on, the PAC is in some contests supporting and in other cases opposing state lawmakers who voted \u201cyes\u201d on Senate Bill 131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a handful of primaries, American Future is spending money for Democratic legislative candidates who don\u2019t even have a primary challenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Future state PAC in Colorado is registered to a coworking space in Dallas. Its only listed contact is a campaign finance compliance expert who leads a firm based in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Matt Ball, a Denver Democrat who was a lead sponsor of Senate Bill 131, said he\u2019s confused by the spending. His best guess is that it\u2019s being used to build goodwill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s strange,\u201d said Ball, who hasn\u2019t had any American Future money spent for or against him. \u201cI\u2019m a little perplexed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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State Sen. Matt Ball, D-Denver, speaks before a bill signing at the governor’s mansion in downtown Denver on June 1, 2026. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are the Democratic state Senate primaries American Future is targeting: <\/p>\n\n\n\n