What Midterm Election Results Will Have Biggest Impact on Sports Betting and iGaming?

• The results of the 2026 midterm elections may have increased sports betting or iGaming legalization chances in several states
• A Democratic wave may change the legislative landscape moving forward
• Election results in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, South Carolina, and Minnesota may lead to better chances of legalization

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As the midterm election results become official, several states may have improved their opportunities to legalize sports betting and iGaming through changes in leadership and party.

But what states saw their legalization chances improve? Did any states see their chances decrease? Sports Betting Dime evaluated the results to see where exactly new roads forward may have been paved with the U.S. largely flipping Democrat.

New governors, senators, and representatives will now have their chance determine if gambling bills receive hearings, votes, and approval as they move into the next several years.

Nebraska Voters Say No to Online Sports Betting

Nebraska voters roundly rejected two ballot initiatives during the elections to legalize online sports betting in the Cornhusker State.

Initiatives 140 and 141 – one to amend the state’s constitution to legalize online sports betting and one to set up new regulatory framework – were both roundly defeated by voters, according to unofficial election results posted by the Nebraska Secretary of State.

Initiative 140, which would have amended the state’s constitution, was defeated by a 327,203 (45%) vote to 398,412 (55%) vote. Initiative 141, which would set up the regulatory framework for online sports betting, received 330,231 votes (46%) for approval and 395,330 (54%) votes against.

The support against the measures came at a $21 million expense for sports betting companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel, who both donated $10.4 million to Tax Relief Nebraska, the organization who successfully campaigned to have the measures placed on the state ballot.

Overall, Tax Relief Nebraska received $22.5 million in campaign contributions from sports betting companies, with BetMGM and Fanatics donating $1.7 million in total to the cause.

Big Win For Texas Legalization Chances

No state did more for its sports betting legalization chances than historically Republican led Texas. Voters ousted incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) in favor of democrat gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and democrat lieutenant governor candidate Vikki Goodwin.

While Hinojosa did vote against the house-approved HJR 102 in 2023, which legalized sports betting in the state, during her time as a representative, she has publicly expressed support to allow Texas voters to decide sports betting and casino legalization through a public initiative vote.

However, the role of the governor regarding legalization is ultimately limited. Through Texas’s regulatory framework, the role of the lieutenant governor actually holds much more power. The Texas lieutenant governor essentially leads the Senate, and over the past several years prior Lt. Gov. Patrick has made it no secret that he did not care for its legalization.

The Texas Republican Senate leader declared he would not bring up any bills in the Senate for a vote unless they had majority Republican support.

“I’ve said repeatedly there is little to no support for expanding gaming from Senate GOP. I polled members this week. Nothing changed. The senate must focus on issues voters expect us to pass. We don’t waste time on bills without overwhelming GOP support. HB1942 won’t be referred. #txlege,” Patrick wrote on X in 2023.

During the 2023 legislative session, the Texas House of Representatives approved an online sports betting bill, as well as a bill to legalize through a constitutional amendment, for the first time in the state’s history.

The victory was short lived, however, as Patrick said there was no majority Republican support for sports betting and he would not bring the bill up for a vote in the Senate.

Lt. Gov. elect Goodwin has previously said she would support a ballot measure to legalize sports betting and casinos put to the public for approval. Goodwin also seems more open to support Senate discussion of sports betting legalization than Patrick as well.

The Texas legislature will come back into session in 2027.

Georgia Governor Elect Supports Casinos

New Georgia elect Gov. Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) handily defeated Republican candidate Rick Jackson to become the first black woman to be elected as a state governor. As part of Bottoms’ campaign, the governor elect supported the legalization of casinos in the state through a constitutional amendment. In part, casino revenues would be used to support an expansion of early childhood education in the state.

Gambling legalization in Georgia, she noted, could bring upwards of $300 million in revenue for education.

But would sports betting be a part of the equation? Georgia has tried, and failed, for the past several years to pass a standalone sports betting bill or put a constitutional ballot initiative to state voters to approve sports betting.

With Bottoms is a proponent of legalized casinos, it’s likely she could also support sports betting legalization if revenues are earmarked for Georgia education.

“In this state of Georgia, education needs to be a priority for us,” Bottoms told WJCL 22 Georgia in April. “We are number one in business in the country, but in the bottom half in education.”

New Ohio Governor in Support of iGaming

Ohio voters elected Amy Acton (D) as the state’s first ever female governor, which also opens the door for serious discussions regarding iGaming legalization.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has stymied most recent attempts at iGaming legalization in the Buckeye State. DeWine has expressed dismay that he allowed the state to legalize sports betting, which he has decried in Ohio, and has not supported any further gaming expansion.

However, Acton reported in a September interview with Statehouse News Bureau she is in favor of expanding online casinos in the state, as long as it comes with a strong regulatory framework to protect vulnerable Ohioans and protections for the state’s youth.

Acton said iGaming revenues could be used to support new programs and reduce the cost of living in Ohio.

“Certainly I see it as a source of revenue that can help fund the proposals that we need to help bring down the cost of living in this state and provide for the services we need to fund,” Acton told Statehouse News Bureau. “That said, I am a doctor and a public health professional, and I want to make sure we have the right regulatory environment around it. I want to make sure we stop the sort of predatory advertising we’re seeing, and I want to make sure our young people are protected. So that’s what you’ll see when I do this; a very nuanced and comprehensive strategy.”

Minnesota Democrats Take Control

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party regained full control over the state legislature and governor’s office, which could bode well for sports betting legalization chances. The state has attempted to legalize for the last several years, vying to give control of sports betting to Minnesota tribes, but has been stymied each session.

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor party has been generally supportive of legalized sports betting. Will full control now in the Senate and House of Representatives, it may provide the best opportunity the state has seen to get a bill across the finish line.

New governor elect Amy Klobuchar (D) expressed neither distaste or support for sports betting in the state during her campaign, but the majority owners of the Minnesota Wild, Twins, and Vikings donated at least $71,000 to her campaign or groups supporting her, according to the Star Tribune. The owners donated nothing to her Republican opponent, Lisa Demuth.

All three teams have heavily supported sports betting legalization efforts in Minnesota.

Oklahoma Roadblock On His Way Out

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) is on his way out of governor’s office due to term limits, which eliminates one of the biggest sports betting legalization roadblocks in the state.

Gov. Stitt has made it no secret that he opposes any sports betting bill that does not allow for multiple operators to exist in Oklahoma. The governor has not supported legislation that provides Oklahoma tribes with exclusive control over sports betting, instead favoring a “free market solution” for the state.

“None of the bills that have moved off the floors of the House or Senate have gotten my input on them. As a matter of fact, they’ve excluded the Governor of the state of Oklahoma from these discussions. When they say that all stakeholders have come to the table and agreed on something, the taxpayers that are represented by the Oklahoma Governor has not weighed in on those things,” Stitt previously said.

Stitt threatened to veto any sports betting bill if it provided tribes with exclusive control.

Governor elect Mike Mazzei (R) has not specifically supported sports betting legalization in the state, but has demonstrated a willingness through his campaign to work with state tribes through a variety of issues. He trumpeted a positive meeting with Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton, one of the leaders of Oklahoma’s five tribes, and has emphasized a need for cooperation with the tribes in the state.

Stitt had an adversarial relationship with tribes as it came to sports betting legalization, so his exit may be the push Oklahoma needs to approve a bill.

Alabama Governor Elect Says Let People Decide

Alabama’s new governor elect Tommy Tuberville (R) has shown a willingness to let the voters of Alabama decide on the legalization of a state lottery, casinos, and sports betting.

The governor elect said he is not for or against gambling in general, but wants a fully-formed legislative plan to be put on his desk to potentially move forward with a ballot initiative for state voters to decide on.

“I mean, if you’re going to do it, if you’re going to put it out in front of the people that’s going to vote for it in a referendum, from the governor’s office to the legislature, you sit down and say, ‘Okay, let’s put it all together. Let’s do it right. Let’s don’t have to go back and change this or that.’ Put it all together, whether it’s lottery, whether it’s casinos. I don’t care what it is,” Tuberville said in an interview with Capitol Journal.

While not himself a gambler, Tuberville said he “wants to do what the people of Alabama wants to do.”

“I’m not going to stand in the way of it, but I’m not going to go out there and promote it unless we get a complete overlook of how we want to do it from day one, not just roll the dice and do it piece by piece. Let’s put it out there, see if the people want to vote for it, and if they pass it we know we’ll do it the right way, but have it all together. It’s going to take a year or so to get that done,” he said.

South Carolina Governor Elect Supports Sports Betting

South Carolina Republican governor elect Alan Wilson, who defeated Democratic candidate Jermaine Johnson, has shown support for online sports betting legalization but has vowed to veto legislation supporting casinos in the state.

The State reported Wilson openly supported online sports betting legalization at a Lexington County Republic Party meeting earlier this year, but decried casino legislation. While he does support online sports betting, he said guardrails would be necessary to keep residents safe.

“(The) internet is everywhere, and obviously, anybody can go online. I don’t want to criminalize conduct that people are doing on their phone,” Wilson said in an interview, according to The State. “I think brick and mortar gambling is very different than what people do on their phones. But at the same time, I just want to make sure that we’re very thoughtful about it.”

South Carolina has had informal discussions on sports betting over the past few sessions, but no bills have seriously been considered for legalization.