A super PAC funded by DraftKings’ parent company is running digital ads and sending campaign mailers on behalf of state Rep. Rodney Creech — the southwest Ohio Republican lawmaker accused of climbing into bed with a minor female relative while erect and wearing only his underwear.

The American Conservative Fund has placed at least six Facebook and Instagram ads promoting Creech’s re-election campaign in Ohio House District 40, according to Meta’s Ad Library. The ads, which began running as early as April 1, describe Creech as “a proven conservative fighting to lower taxes, defend the 2nd Amendment, and protect the unborn” and “the fighter Ohioans need and deserve.” Combined spending on the Meta ads ranges from approximately $4,300 to $5,900, with total impressions between roughly 250,000 and 290,000.

The PAC has also sent at least one physical mailer to voters in the district. That mailer — paid for by the American Conservative Fund, not Creech’s campaign — features a young girl in a martial arts uniform under the headline “America First Conservative RODNEY CREECH stands with our female athletes and their families.” It promotes Creech’s vote to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of the “Save Women’s Sports Act” and includes a family photo of Creech with his children.

“Children whom he has not contacted or seen in years”

Creech’s daughter responded publicly on Facebook on April 13.

“Is there something unusual about this? Perhaps the fact that our father, Rodney Creech, is using pictures of his children, whom he has not contacted or seen in years, on a political flyer being mailed out?” Creech’s daughter wrote. “Just because his children felt threatened and reported his disturbing behavior over the past couple of years, he claimed it was for political gain. However, it appears that he is the one who has made this situation political.”

“Once again, this seems to be a case of deception, and another reason why this individual is not suitable for public office,” she added. The post received 64 likes and 59 shares.

It is not the first time Creech’s daughter has publicly challenged her father. In a previous exchange on Creech’s official state representative Facebook page, she pushed back after he dismissed her statements about the alleged misconduct as “textbook parental alienation.” She responded that she was speaking about her “true feelings.” Those comments subsequently disappeared from Creech’s page.

The money trail

The American Conservative Fund is a federal super PAC registered with the Federal Election Commission on November 18, 2025. Its financial trail leads directly to the sports betting industry.

FEC records show the American Conservative Fund’s only reported income through the end of 2025 was $500,000 from another super PAC, Win For America. In turn, Win For America’s only reported income was $2 million from DK Crown Holdings Inc. — the Boston-based parent company of DraftKings — according to cleveland.com, which first reported on the PAC’s Ohio spending.

The American Conservative Fund has placed more than $1.1 million in ads backing Republican legislative primary candidates around Ohio, according to cleveland.com. The largest expenditures targeted high-profile races: more than $313,000 to help state Rep. Jim Hoops in the Senate District 1 primary, and roughly $225,000 on behalf of former state Sen. Frank Hoagland in House District 96.

Creech falls among what cleveland.com described as “lesser amounts on digital ads to aid nine other Republican legislative candidates in contested primaries.”

None of the ads mention sports gambling. DraftKings did not return cleveland.com’s request for comment on why the company is spending money on Ohio legislative races.

Why Ohio matters to DraftKings

The spending comes as Ohio lawmakers weigh major changes to the state’s sports betting landscape. Several Ohio House Republicans recently announced legislation that would impose significant restrictions on sports betting, including a ban on “prop” and parlay bets — two of the most profitable bet types for sportsbook operators.

Gov. DeWine, who has said his biggest mistake as governor was signing the bill legalizing sports betting, called last summer for a total ban on prop bets in Ohio after pitch-rigging allegations involving two Cleveland Guardians pitchers.

DraftKings has a clear interest in supporting lawmakers who will protect the status quo — and Creech has not been an outspoken critic of sports betting. The PAC’s support for Creech appears to fall in line with what cleveland.com described as backing candidates whose “moderate stance on the issue — no bans on prop bets or parlays, but also no expansion of other types of internet betting — aligns with DraftKings’ interest in maintaining the status quo.”

A pattern across states

Ohio is not the only state where the American Conservative Fund has deployed DraftKings money in state-level primaries. In Alabama, the PAC spent money on campaign mailers and TV ads without filing required state financial reports, according to 1819 News. In North Carolina, it ran ads and mailers for a Republican state House incumbent, prompting a local newspaper to trace the money trail back to DraftKings.

Nationally, the Sports Betting Alliance — DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bet365 — has funneled approximately $48 million into Win For America, which has already spent more than $20 million on primary elections across at least six states, according to Axios.

The BCI investigation

Creech was accused in 2023 by a minor female relative of climbing into bed with her while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents obtained by the Statehouse News Bureau. Creech admitted to investigators he had gotten into bed with the minor in his underwear but denied the sexual nature of the allegations.

Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll, serving as special prosecutor, declined to file charges but wrote that Creech’s behavior was “concerning and suspicious.” The Preble County Sheriff and county prosecutor both recused themselves from the case due to personal relationships with Creech. BCI did not begin investigating until November 2023 — four months after the allegations were first reported.

House Speaker Matt Huffman stripped Creech of all four committee assignments in May 2025 and asked him to resign. Creech refused. In February 2026, Huffman reversed course, restoring Creech’s committee assignments and signing a letter requesting the Ohio Republican Party endorse him for re-election. The party obliged.

Creech faces former state Rep. J. Todd Smith and Lew Lainhart in the Republican primary for Ohio House District 40 on May 5. Smith held the seat before Creech defeated him in the 2020 primary. Democrat Timothy Hornbacker is running unopposed in his party’s primary.

Attempts to reach DraftKings and Creech’s campaign for comment were unsuccessful.