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KEY TAKEAWAYS
Nebraska is the only state where voters will decide on a statewide gambling issue on Election Day.
Governor and legislative races in Texas, Minnesota, Ohio and more will shape which gambling bills could move in 2027.
A Democratic sweep of Congress would give the party new oversight tools over the CFTC, but it would not easily produce a new prediction market law.
Voters head to the polls Tuesday for the 2026 election with one statewide Sports Betting question, a handful of local casino votes
and dozens of races that will decide who controls gambling policy in the next few legislative sessions.
In Nebraska, voters will decide whether to expand Sports Betting online, as DraftKings and FanDuel fueled the campaign with more than $20m in donations.
But most of the action will sit with candidates. Lieutenant governors, governors and legislative majorities in several states without legal
Sports Betting or iCasino could determine whether gambling expansion bills get hearings, floor votes or a signature next year.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., control of Congress will decide who holds the gavel over the regulator at the center of the prediction market fight.
States that could see the gambling discussion change after Tuesday:
Alabama
Georgia
Minnesota
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Texas
Wisconsin
Will Alabama expand gambling?
Alabama has no lottery, and both candidates for governor say voters should get a say on one.
Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he would not block a public vote but wants lawmakers to write a comprehensive plan rather
than handle a lottery, casinos and other gambling piece by piece, AL.com reported.
“I’m not going to stand in the way of it,” Tuberville said.
Democrat Doug Jones said he would push for both a lottery bill and a broader gambling package, and he would split off a standalone
lottery vote if lawmakers cannot agree on the larger plan.
Alabama lawmakers regularly discuss various gambling expansion plans, but none have crossed the finish line. Any expansion still
requires a constitutional amendment from the Legislature before it reaches voters.
Could Georgia see Sports Betting or casinos?
Similar to Alabama, Georgia lawmakers have discussed gambling expansion for years, coming close to passing Sports Betting several times.
Georgia’s open governor’s race is a toss-up between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson.
Bottoms supports letting voters decide on statewide casino gambling and pointed to more than $300m in projected revenue to
expand pre-kindergarten access, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The Sports Betting industry focused its money farther down the ballot. Win for America, a committee funded by DraftKings
and FanDuel, accounted for $12.3m in independent spending on Georgia legislative races through the first half of the year, nearly
half of all outside spending in the state, according to the AJC. Nearly all 34 candidates the industry backed in primaries won.
Will Minnesota agree on Sports Betting?
Every legislative seat is on the ballot in Minnesota, one of the few states without legal Sports Betting. It is another state that
frequently has considered gambling expansion without getting it over the finish line despite bipartisan support and
a once-reported deal in place to legalize Sportsbooks.
The House began last year evenly split, and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has strong prospects to regain a trifecta, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL nominee, faces House Speaker Lisa Demuth for governor. Neither candidate has made sports
betting a part of their platform, but Minnesota sports teams, who back of a legalized market, have donated to Klobuchar, according to the Star Tribune.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Nebraska is the only state where voters will decide on a statewide gambling issue on Election Day.
Governor and legislative races in Texas, Minnesota, Ohio and more will shape which gambling bills could move in 2027.
A Democratic sweep of Congress would give the party new oversight tools over the CFTC, but it would not easily produce a new prediction market law.
Voters head to the polls Tuesday for the 2026 election with one statewide Sports Betting question, a handful of local casino votes
and dozens of races that will decide who controls gambling policy in the next few legislative sessions.
In Nebraska, voters will decide whether to expand Sports Betting online, as DraftKings and FanDuel fueled the campaign with more than $20m in donations.
But most of the action will sit with candidates. Lieutenant governors, governors and legislative majorities in several states without legal
Sports Betting or iCasino could determine whether gambling expansion bills get hearings, floor votes or a signature next year.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., control of Congress will decide who holds the gavel over the regulator at the center of the prediction market fight.
States that could see the gambling discussion change after Tuesday:
Alabama
Georgia
Minnesota
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Texas
Wisconsin
Will Alabama expand gambling?
Alabama has no lottery, and both candidates for governor say voters should get a say on one.
Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he would not block a public vote but wants lawmakers to write a comprehensive plan rather
than handle a lottery, casinos and other gambling piece by piece, AL.com reported.
“I’m not going to stand in the way of it,” Tuberville said.
Democrat Doug Jones said he would push for both a lottery bill and a broader gambling package, and he would split off a standalone
lottery vote if lawmakers cannot agree on the larger plan.
Alabama lawmakers regularly discuss various gambling expansion plans, but none have crossed the finish line. Any expansion still
requires a constitutional amendment from the Legislature before it reaches voters.
Could Georgia see Sports Betting or casinos?
Similar to Alabama, Georgia lawmakers have discussed gambling expansion for years, coming close to passing Sports Betting several times.
Georgia’s open governor’s race is a toss-up between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson.
Bottoms supports letting voters decide on statewide casino gambling and pointed to more than $300m in projected revenue to
expand pre-kindergarten access, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The Sports Betting industry focused its money farther down the ballot. Win for America, a committee funded by DraftKings
and FanDuel, accounted for $12.3m in independent spending on Georgia legislative races through the first half of the year, nearly
half of all outside spending in the state, according to the AJC. Nearly all 34 candidates the industry backed in primaries won.
Will Minnesota agree on Sports Betting?
Every legislative seat is on the ballot in Minnesota, one of the few states without legal Sports Betting. It is another state that
frequently has considered gambling expansion without getting it over the finish line despite bipartisan support and
a once-reported deal in place to legalize Sportsbooks.
The House began last year evenly split, and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has strong prospects to regain a trifecta, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL nominee, faces House Speaker Lisa Demuth for governor. Neither candidate has made sports
betting a part of their platform, but Minnesota sports teams, who back of a legalized market, have donated to Klobuchar, according to the Star Tribune.
