Author Archives: Alex Igelman

About Alex Igelman

Alex Igelman is a gaming lawyer and consultant based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2007, Alex Igelman founded Gaming Research Partners, a full service gaming and eSports consultancy that specializes in research and business development.

New York orders DraftKings, FanDuel to stop taking bets | New York Post

  • New York orders DraftKings, FanDuel to stop taking bets | New York Post

An assailment of epic proportion against the DFS industry continued yesterday with the NY AG telling DraftKings and FanDuel that they are not welcome in NY and to cease and desist offering the product to NY State residents.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel responded to AG Schneiderman’s pronouncement with personal attacks on the AG alluding to the fact that he was seeking media attention.

The writing is now on the wall for DFS. Either regulate and cede oversight to the various States or suffer the wrath of protracted criminal and civil actions.

The saga continues….

 

New York orders DraftKings, FanDuel to stop taking bets | New York Post.

Jerry Jones Dallas Cowboys owner has no issue with DFS and his investment in DraftKings

Battle of the Titans

Outspoken Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sees no issues with DFS and his investment in DraftKings.

“From my perspective, anything that follows the rules, that causes and creates more interest and more fan participation, I’m really for,” Jones said to ESPN. “So I’m a supporter and that’s the rules that we’ll test — is put your money where your mouth is.” 

The Battle of the Titans begins

Opponents of DFS are up against some heavy hitters in terms of DFS backers (both investors and proponents).

It will be interesting to see how this battle pans out.

DFS has some major league investors involved .

Investors in FanDuel include:  Comcast Ventures Piton Capital, Pentech Ventures, Bullpen Capital, serial investor Richard Koch, Shamrock Capital Advisors with participation from NBC Sports Ventures and KKR. 

FanDuel announced a strategic partnership agreement with the National Basketball Association (NBA). As part of the deal the NBA gained an equity stake in FanDuel and is promoting FanDuel as the “Official One-Day Fantasy Basketball Game.” As of 2015 FanDuel has partnered with 16 NFL teams and 14 NBA teams.

DraftKings has similar powerhouses behind them, including: Redpoint Ventures, Accomplice, BDS Venture Fund, GGV Capital, Jordan Mendell, Fox Sports, and the Kraft Group, owners of the New England Patriots, and Boston financial giant Wellington Management. 

DraftKings also has a multi-year agreement with the National Hockey League that gives DraftKings exclusive rights to use NHL-owned intellectual property and all of the NHL’s assets and also prominent placement on the NHL’s digital platforms, including NHL.com, NHL Mobile, the NHL Network and the NHL’s social media accounts.

DraftKings and Major League Baseball also have a multi-year deal making DraftKings the “Official Daily Fantasy Game” for the sport. The agreement allows DraftKings to offer co-branded MLB daily fantasy games and extend its relationships with individual MLB clubs to offer in-stadium fantasy-related experiences.

While some have compared the crackdown on DFS reminiscent of the troubles online gambling had in 2006 and the “Black Friday” crackdown against Poker, there are fundamental differences here because of who is behind these companies.

It will be very interesting to see where the DFS industry is heading as we approach 2016. 

Stay Tuned….

 

Latest Daily Fantasy Sports News: DraftKings, FantDuel, More…. | Gambling911.com.

When it rains, it pours: Georgia State Lottery Demands Answers From DraftKings, FanDuel | Gambling911.com

Georgia State Lottery Demands Answers From DraftKings, FanDuel | Gambling911.com

The situation for the DFS industry continues to worsen as the State of Georgia Lottery has sent letters to both Draftkings and Fanduel saying it appears their services violate Georgia law.

Stay tuned for more States and agencies to continue their assault on the DFS industry.

I think the writing is on the wall. The DFS industry of 2016 is going to be substantially different than the industry of today.

Georgia State Lottery Demands Answers From DraftKings, FanDuel | Gambling911.com.

DraftKings Continues to Operate in Nevada

  • DraftKings Continues to Operate in Nevada - The New York Times

Hopefully, for their sake, Draftkings was slow off the line to shut down Nevada based IP addresses. It would be foolish for them to continue to accept Nevada customers and face the wrath of the Gaming Control Board and the enforcement division.

 

DraftKings Continues to Operate in Nevada – The New York Times.

Nevada Gaming Control Board decision has far reaching implications

The NGCB ‘s recent decision to classify DFS as gambling has far reaching implications beyond the borders of the Silver State.

Nevada has always been considered the “Gold Standard” in the regulation of gambling and its decision will now be used by numerous other States as a de facto conclusion that DFS is gambling. This creates serious legal implications.

Combine this with the recent various State and Federal investigations into DFS, it appears that the industry is seriously in trouble.

The next 30 days will be crucial for the DFS industry. We can only wait and see what transpires. There are billions of dollars at stake.

 

Daily Fantasy Sports Sites Ordered to Shut Down in Nevada – WSJ.