Support WBUR
Boston's Morning Newsletter
A look at DraftKings' political donations to Mass. House leaders in 2026
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Harvard's graduation ceremonies are getting underway, with Brookline-bred comedian Conan O'Brien set to deliver the university's commencement speech later this morning. (You can stream it here.)
But first the news:
Betting (on) the House: As state lawmakers across the country consider proposals to rein in sports betting, the industry is making some big investments in the political arena. As WBUR's Patrick Madden reports in a new investigation, Boston-based DraftKings and other sports betting companies have poured $43 million into a new super PAC targeting states weighing regulations on the industry. And while the super PAC has yet to spend money in Massachusetts, DraftKings leaders have engaged locally in a different way this year: funneling money to support the campaigns of the top leaders of the state's House of Representatives.
- House Speaker Ron Mariano: State records show DraftKings executives and their family members donated $17,750 to Mariano over four days this past January — making up more than a third of the money the Quincy Democrat raised in 2026.
- Rep. Aaron Michlewitz: Meanwhile, the chair of the House's powerful Ways and Means Committee (who is viewed as Mariano's likely successor as speaker) got $19,800 from DraftKings. The donations came during the same time period and from mostly the same people. They made up more than 10% of Michlewitz's fundraising this year.
- The backdrop: The donations come as the Senate considers one of the country's strictest sports betting reform proposals. The bill from state Sen. John Keenan (a former sports betting supporter) would ban prop bets, prohibit sports betting ads during games on TV and hike taxes on sports betting revenue. Records show no recent DraftKing employee donations to Senate President Karen Spilka or state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Michlewitz's counterpart as chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. However, the company did make an eyebrow-raising $50,000 donation to a nonprofit aligned with Gov. Maura Healey in September.
- What they're saying: Mariano hasn't taken a position on Keenan's bill. Both his office and Michlewitz's office told Patrick that campaign donations have no impact on their review of legislation in the House.
- Zoom out: No state in the country has passed the type of sports betting rollback that Keenan is proposing — though a few have come close. However, DraftKings has worked to lobby against those proposals and used its super PAC to run attack ads against political candidates who are critical of the industry. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins told investors earlier this month that they're experimenting with the super PAC this election cycle to "see how it goes." Read Patrick's full piece here for more on what the company's political efforts across the country have looked like.
Going dark: Boston's iconic Citgo sign is about to be taken down — temporarily. Construction crews plan to kick off work this Friday to slightly relocate the six-decade-old sign so that it remains visible amid future development. It will still be on the same Kenmore Square rooftop, just mounted 30 feet higher and 120 feet to the east.
- What to expect: According to The Boston Globe, the move is estimated to take about six months, wrapping up in October. It reportedly includes removing Citgo's logo and taking down the superstructure before rebuilding the sign on its new perch. (Insert joke about the Red Sox season here.)
Watch this space: Boston plans to host six community World Cup watch parties, in addition to the official fan fest at City Hall Plaza. Mayor Michelle Wu announced yesterday that the city will host watch parties for the World Cup final and semifinal rounds (since the City Hall fan fest ends after the group stage) as well as for three group-stage games that were picked due to cultural ties with the Boston area. Each party will have a big screen, music, food vendors and other activities, Wu's office said. And yes, they've locked down those elusive public viewing licenses from FIFA.
- Where? The initial three watch parties will be at Dorchester's Town Field, on Boston Common and at East Boston's Memorial Stadium. (The locations of the semifinals and finals watch parties are still TBD.) Check out the schedule here.
- In related news: Online registration for the City Hall Plaza fan fest will open today at 2 p.m., according to Boston 26 organizers. (The festival is free, but attendees are required to register ahead of time for specific days/matches.)
Landing at Logan Airport: Mike's Pastry. The famous North End bakery is set to open an outpost at Terminal C "later this year," the airport's concessions manager said yesterday. It will have Mike's signature filled-to-order cannoli, other pastries and a full espresso bar, seven days a week from 5 a.m to 10 p.m.
P.S.— The WBUR Festival returns to Boston tomorrow. If you haven't snagged tickets yet, now's your final chance to be part of this unforgettable weekend, with over 60 sessions and hundreds of incredible speakers like David Cross, Celeste Ng, José Andrés, Bryan Stevenson, Samantha Power and Lindy West. Plus, there are fun activities and pop-ups all weekend, and you can come play games and win prizes with our newsroom as part of our lively (free!) street fair Saturday. Get your ticket here.
