Florida Gambling Interests Pour Millions Into 2026 Election

At least $12.2 million from gambling and gaming interests has already entered Florida’s 2026 election cycle, with the Seminole Tribe responsible for roughly three-quarters of the total.

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Campaign finance filings through July 31 show the tribe gave about $9.1 million to candidates and political committees. Its money reached some of the most important Republican figures in the state, including U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the leading Republican contender for governor.

Donalds received about $6 million from gambling interests overall, close to half of the sector’s political spending so far. Wilton Simpson’s committee received $1 million, while incoming Senate President Jim Boyd’s committee and the Republican Party of Florida each took about $750,000. The Florida Democratic Party received roughly $200,000.

The scale of the spending is striking because Florida’s gambling market is already unusually concentrated.

The Seminole Tribe operates Hard Rock and holds much of the state’s gambling power. A compact with Gov. Ron DeSantis guarantees Florida at least $500 million a year for 30 years in exchange for the tribe’s control of digital sports betting.

Now other gambling businesses are putting money into the same political system.

Prediction Markets Join the Spending Race

FanDuel contributed about $581,000, with almost all of it going to Donalds. DK Crown Holdings, the owner of DraftKings, gave roughly $525,000, again directing most of its money toward his campaign.

PrizePicks contributed close to $400,000. Kalshi gave about $268,000, Caesars around $245,000 and the Sports Betting Alliance approximately $250,000.

Robinhood Markets added another $200,000, all to Donalds.

The list matters beyond the amounts. Traditional sportsbooks are appearing alongside prediction-market operators and financial trading platforms, suggesting that Florida politics is becoming an important arena for a broader fight over digital wagering.

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The divide is no longer simply between supporters and opponents of gambling. Different companies have different interests in how the market is regulated, and those interests are now being backed with political cash.

The Seminole Tribe’s spending has also reached outside statewide contests.

In St. Petersburg, former Gov. Charlie Crist received $50,000 from the tribe for his mayoral campaign. That contribution has attracted attention because of the tribe’s potential interest in the city and the future of the 130-acre Derby Lane property, which has been discussed as a possible entertainment destination.

There is no indication in the campaign material that the contribution was tied to a specific development plan. Crist’s campaign has said the tribe’s interest extends only to having capable government in the wider Tampa Bay region.

Still, the size of the contribution stands out in a local race.

Donalds’ campaign has also maintained that gambling donations would not determine his policy decisions if he becomes governor.

For now, the filings show something more concrete: Florida’s gambling industry is spending heavily before voters have even reached the main contest of the 2026 cycle.

The Seminole Tribe remains by far the largest player. But FanDuel, DraftKings, PrizePicks, Kalshi, Caesars, Robinhood and other companies are increasingly putting their own money into the political field.

That makes the coming election about more than the future of one gambling compact. It is also becoming a contest over who will have influence as Florida decides what its next generation of online wagering should look like.

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Source: igamingexpress.com