February 11, 2020 Gambling / Legislation

New York Appellate Court Rules Fantasy Sports is Illegal Gambling

The New York Appellate Division, Third Department, has ruled that fantasy sports betting is illegal gambling in New York State, reversing a 2016 law that had permitted the activity.

Previously, the legislature passed a law regulating daily fantasy sports, stating that the practice was legal within state limits. Opposition to the bill pointed out that the New York State Constitution prohibits lawmakers from legalizing gambling absent an amendment to the State Constitution. Meanwhile, proponents of the bill argued that the activity failed to meet the …

January 21, 2020 Celebrities / Fantasy Sports / Fraud / Gambling / NFL / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling / TV

DraftKings Comes Under Fire Following Collusion Scandal Involving “Bachelor” Stars

Two stars from “The Bachelor” are facing allegations that they colluded in a DraftKings contest to win $1 million, adding to the controversies that the daily fantasy sports industry is facing.

Jade Roper-Tolbert won $1 million in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker involving the NFL playoffs. She entered 150 lineups, which is the maximum number allowed for a single contestant. Tanner Tolbert, her husband who she met while filming “Bachelor in Paradise,” also entered the same contest with 150 entries. However, it is alleged that none …

October 8, 2019 Antitrust / Fantasy Sports / Gambling / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

FanDuel Owner to Become Largest Gambling Company in $6 Billion Deal, Targets U.S. Sports Betting Market

Flutter Entertainment PLC, the owner of Paddy Power and FanDuel, announced a $6 billion deal to purchase The Stars Group Inc. (TSG) and become the world’s largest online gambling company.

Flutter, an Irish gambling conglomerate, owns gambling websites Paddy Power and Betfair, in addition to sports betting websites FanDuel, Sportsbet, and TVG. Meanwhile, Canadian company TSG owns the world’s largest poker website, PokerStars, as well as BetStars and Full Tilt Poker.

The combined value of the companies is approximately $12 billion. Further, the combined …

October 3, 2019 Fantasy Sports / Gambling / NFL / Sponsorships / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

NFL Officially Partners With DraftKings for Daily Fantasy

On September 26, 2019, the NFL announced that it has selected DraftKings to be its first official daily fantasy partner. Notably, this partnership deal does not include sports betting.

In a joint statement, the companies stated that their partnership includes “exclusive sponsorship of the daily fantasy sports category with access to NFL branding and more.” NFL Chief Revenue Officer Renie Anderson said, “[d]aily fantasy football has been a tremendous vehicle for fans of all types to deepen their engagement with the NFL.” Over 11 …

November 23, 2018 Fantasy Sports / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Litigation / NCAA / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

Draftkings and Fanduel: “No Doubt” Right of Publicity Lawsuit Should be Dismissed

As we have previously reported, former NCAA football players, Akeem Daniels, Cameron Stingily, and Nicholas Stoner recently filed a lawsuit against Draftkings, Inc. and Fanduel, Inc. In their lawsuit, the former NCAA players allege that Draftkings and Fanduel violated an Indiana state right-of-publicity statute when they used the former players names, images, likenesses, and statistics in online fantasy sports contests. After the case was dismissed in United States District Court, it was appealed to the Seventh Circuit. A Seventh Circuit appellate panel certified the …

November 14, 2018 Fantasy Sports / NHL / Sports Betting

FanDuel Strikes Deal with NHL as Official Sports Betting Partner

Via joint press release, FanDuel announced its partnership with the NHL, unveiling its multi-year deal as the official daily fantasy sports partner and sports betting partner.

The partnership is not the first of its kind for the NHL, as the organization announced a comparable agreement with MGM Resorts International shortly before its FanDuel partnership.

The NHL’s strategy to cozy up with sports betting giants is a sharp turn away from its previous views on the gambling practice. Back in 2016, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated …

March 13, 2018 Fantasy Sports / Litigation

Federal Judges Turn to Indiana State Court in DraftKings and FanDuel Lawsuit

On March 7, 2018, two Seventh Circuit judges, Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner, certified the following question to the Supreme Court of Indiana, “Whether online fantasy‐sports operators that condition entry on payment, and distribute cash prizes, need the consent of players whose names, pictures, and statistics are used in the contests, in advertising the contests, or both.”

As we have previously reported, in May 2017, a group of 3,000 college-athletes, led by former Northern Illinois University football players Akeem Daniels and …

February 24, 2018 Fantasy Sports / Litigation

Lawsuit Concerning Use of Student-Athletes’ Name and Likeness by DraftKings and FanDuel Continues

On February 22, 2018, two Seventh Circuit judges, Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner, said that they would likely need an answer from the Indiana judiciary before they can decide whether to revive a proposed class action suit brought against DraftKings and FanDuel. As we have previously reported, in May 2017, a group of 3,000 college-athletes, led by former Northern Illinois University football players Akeem Daniels and Cameron Stingily, and former Indiana University football player Nicholas Stoner, bought a suit alleging that …

February 2, 2018 Basketball / Sports Betting

NBA Calls for Legalization of Sports Betting

On January 24, 2018, the NBA’s Assistant General Counsel, Dan Spillane, testified in front of a New York State Senate committee and expressed the NBA’s support for a body of law that would legalize sports betting. Spillane said, “[w]e have studied these issues at length …[o]ur conclusion is that the time has come for a different approach that gives sports fans a safe and legal way to wager on sporting events while protecting the integrity of the underlying competitions.” Spillane’s testimony comes in stark …

January 25, 2018 Fantasy Sports / Litigation

DraftKings and FanDuel Once Again Fight Back Against Lawsuit in Indiana

On January 16, 2017, FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc. once again argued their websites do not violate Indiana’s right of publicity statute. As we have previously covered in May 2017, a group of 3,000 college athletes, led by former Northern Illinois University football players Akeem Daniels and Cameron Stingily, and former Indiana University football player Nicholas Stoner, bought a suit against DraftKings and FanDuel. The suit alleged that FanDuel and DraftKings were profiting from the use of the students athletes names, images, likenesses, and …