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The Athletic expands its sports news subscription with over 20 podcasts
The Athletic plans on delivering over 20 new podcasts focused on hyper-local and national sports coverage to its over 100,000 paid subscribers. The paywalled sports outlet launched its new podcast venture on Tuesday, featuring shows that focus on the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and fantasy sports. The company is also planning on adding a total of 15 podcasts that focus on local sports in the Bay Area and Toronto.
ESPN is testing a global fantasy soccer game
ESPN has launched a new global fantasy soccer game that will let soccer fans around the world compete across 13 global editions of ESPN.com. ESPN Fantasy Soccer, which launched in beta today, is presented in three languages -- English, Spanish and Portuguese -- and is available on smartphones, tablets and computers. At launch, the game supports multiple professional leagues -- Champions League, English Premier League, La Liga and Liga MX -- and more will be added next year.
FanDuel's co-founder leaves to create an eSports company
FanDuel co-creator Nigel Eccles has been toying with startup ideas ever since his company proposed a merger with DraftKings, and he's taking action now that the merger has fallen apart. Eccles has stepped down from his CEO and chairman positions to helm an eSports startup. He won't say much about what it is (besides "something awesome," naturally), but this isn't an acrimonious split -- he's "a little bit sad" to be going. FanDuel's previous financial chief, Matt King, is returning to the company to fill Eccles' shoes.
CBS, Comcast deal brings fantasy football to your cable box
We've seen a few attempts to put fantasy football on TV screens over the years, but despite the game's increasing popularity none have really made an impact (we never did see more fantasy leagues appear for the Xbox One). Now CBS has struck a deal with Comcast to integrate its game with the X1 platform. That's not particularly helpful if you use a different TV setup or have a fantasy league on a different platform, but those are the breaks. If you do have the right combination of circumstances, however, you can keep track of your dominating victory/crushing loss in real time without looking away from the game.
The FTC plans to block the DraftKings and FanDuel merger
Last November, fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel announced they would be merging -- a deal that was expected to finalize later this year. However, according to an Federal Trade Commission press release, the FTC will try to block the merger.
NBA's new second-screen app syncs with games on TV in real time
The NBA is rolling out a new fantasy sports app called InPlay, which will let fans have a second-screen experience during nationally televised games. It's a slightly different concept than services like Yahoo Fantasy: InPlay syncs stats by recognizing audio from any NBA match being broadcasted on TV, using your iOS or Android device. Once you pick the player you think is going to do well, the application will show you how many points he's earning you in real time. And if you end up outperforming everyone else playing the game, the league says you could win official NBA swag. You can download it now from the App Store or Google Play, but you won't be able to play it until tonight's games. After that, the app should work with broadcasts on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV and TNT.
DraftKings and FanDuel make their merger official
It was speculated back in June and reports last month indicated that a deal was close. Today, daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel made their merger official. The two sides announced a "strategic merger" that's expected to close in the second half of 2017, but financial details weren't disclosed.
DraftKings and FanDuel may be serious about a merger
DraftKings and FanDuel have dismissed talk of a possible merger for ages, but it looks like those rumors may be more than just idle banter. Sources for both ESPN and Recode say that the daily fantasy sports websites are in serious talks about a union. Just how close they are is up for debate (ESPN says it's "imminent," Recode says the terms are "still being ironed out"), but this wouldn't just be an exploratory discussion.
DraftKings and FanDuel settle with New York for $12 million
Just because New York state has legalized daily fantasy sports doesn't mean that DraftKings and FanDuel are off the hook just yet. The two sites have settled with New York's Attorney General over charges of misleading customers about their chances of winning. Each company will pay $6 million, and they'll have to institute "sweeping reforms" to their marketing. They'll have to explicitly disclose the expected odds and winnings in contests, as well as the terms for any promotions. Both will also have to offer resources for players who might succumb to addiction, and host a page detailing the success rates for users -- particularly for top players who might use scripts and advanced theories to get an edge.
DraftKings and FanDuel's group features make daily fantasy more social
Until now, the focus for daily fantasy companies DraftKings and FanDuel has been just that: daily fantasy sports. However, both companies have announced new features that allow players to make private leagues where they can compete against a small group of friends and colleagues rather than public users of the services. With those private contests, both DraftKings and FanDuel are venturing into the world of season-long fantasy sports, something fans of regular ol' fantasy football, baseball and more are very familiar with.
New York governor legalizes daily fantasy sports
Daily fantasy sports leagues have seen serious ups and downs in the last few months as regulatory agencies grapple with whether risking money on their services constitutes gambling. New York state banned the popular sites DraftKings and FanDuel at least until a September appeal, but it seems they got an early reprieve. In June, legislators proposed to allow daily fantasy so long as they obeyed regulations and pay fees, which governor Cuomo just signed into law. As of today, it's legal in NY.
Nevada gives its first license to a daily fantasy sports game
Nevada's gaming board shut down daily fantasy games from DraftKings and FanDuel late last year for fairly obvious reasons: they're gambling, and they need a license to operate in the state. Now for the first time, the board has issued a license to a daily fantasy operator called USFantasy. Unsurprisingly, the Vegas-approved fantasy game is planning to operate through the race and sports books of casinos, and won't look much like other daily fantasy sports games.
DraftKings and FanDuel are reportedly talking about a merger (updated)
Many would say that DraftKings and FanDuel are two sides of the same daily fantasy sports coin, and for good reason: in addition to similar businesses, they've sometimes been uncomfortably close to each other. And now, it looks like they might just cement that bond once and for all. Sources for both Bloomberg and Reuters say that the two companies are in merger talks. They reportedly haven't agreed on anything and might not unite, but the insiders claim that the two have been discussing the deal for a long time. Neither DraftKings nor FanDuel has commented so far.
DraftKings and FanDuel pull the plug on college fantasy contests
While debates about the legality of fantasy sports services DraftKings and FanDuel rage on, both companies have announced that they'll suspend all paid contests on collegiate sports as of this week. Sorry, armchair coaches: looks like your March Madness championship paydays aren't coming after all. While the news might be a bummer for people already gearing up for the Division I college football in a few months, CNBC also reports that the two companies will also stop offering contests involving "high school and youth sports."
DraftKings and FanDuel stop operating in New York, for now
We hope you aren't an ardent DraftKings or FanDuel fan in New York -- that reprieve they got isn't going to last. The state's Attorney General has reached agreements with both daily fantasy sports sites that will have them shut down paid contests in New York from March 21st until at least September, when they get to appeal a ruling that put them on the wrong side of the law. You can still use them as a New Yorker if you're out of state, but you're otherwise out of luck.
NYT: DraftKings and FanDuel lose major payment processor
The daily fantasy sports industry has a new problem, and The New York Times believes it's "the biggest blow yet" despite all its other legal challenges. One of its main payment processors, Vantiv Entertainment Solutions, has notified its clients that it'll stop processing all daily fantasy sports transactions in the US on February 29th. Payment processors handle all the players' deposits and withdrawals, and Vantiv, in particular, plays a major part in that for FanDuel and DraftKings. The company's services are a crucial part of those websites' operation -- they will not be able to continue running unless they find a replacement.
Daily fantasy sports under scrutiny in Texas and Washington
DraftKings, FanDuel and all other daily fantasy sports websites can't catch a break. In Washington, their fate depends on which bill state legislators decide to pass. Rep. Chris Hurst's House bill wants to reinforce the state's existing law and officially declare the services as illegal gambling. The Senate bill proposed by Sen. Doug Ericksen, on the other hand, wants to recognize them as games of skill and make them legal. Finally, Sen. Pam Roach wants to legally allow season-long fantasy leagues to operate. But each league will be limited to 50 people and the maximum fee they can collect per person who wants to play is $50. Any bill that becomes a law will take effect by July 1st.
FanDuel warned staff against winning too often on rival sites
DraftKings and FanDuel may have bitten off more than they can chew when they sued New York to keep their daily fantasy sports games alive in the state. FanDuel's corporate policies from before it self-regulated have been entered into evidence, and some of them only seem to confirm worries about staff abusing their power while playing on rival sites. For a start, the site told workers to "never be among the top five" players on any daily fantasy site, or the top 10 on the tracking site RotoGrinders. They also couldn't have disproportionate numbers of entries in tournaments, and they were supposed to avoid using information on player lineups whenever possible. In other words, don't be too successful -- we don't want you raising suspicions that the games might be rigged.
Daily fantasy sports to stay in Massachusetts with new regulations
As the likes of DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo fight to keep their daily fantasy sites open in New York, they'll be able to do so in Massachusetts. Attorney General Maura Healey announced the first set of guidelines for a state to regulate the fantasy sports games rather than outright banning them. According to the new rules, players in Massachusetts must be 21 years of age and companies who run the games are prohibited from advertising on school or college campuses. What's more, professional athletes or folks with ties to a professional sport (agents, employees, etc.) won't be able to play games that focus on that particular sport. For example, an NFL player couldn't participate in pro football daily fantasy games, but could do so for NBA or basketball-related activities. The regulations won't go into effect immediately, though, as Healey asked for a public comment period and a court hearing before making the new rules official. However, daily fantasy companies could be proactive in establishing the new rules, which Healey said she hopes they would do. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
NY Attorney General targets Yahoo's daily fantasy sports next
Yahoo is no stranger to fantasy sports, and its foray into daily fantasy games grabbed the attention of regulators in New York. The internet company is being included in the inquiry into daily fantasy sports by the New York Attorney General's office. Yahoo was subpoenaed alongside DraftKings and FanDuel as Attorney General Eric Schneiderman looks to ban the games in his state. A distant third in the world of daily fantasy, Yahoo launched its version in July and continues to accept payments in the state of New York. However, the company shut down its daily fantasy option in Florida last month after an investigation of the industry began by a federal grand jury. With Schneiderman looking into other operators besides the two top names, it seems his goal is to rid New York of daily fantasy sports entirely and classify the games as gambling. And if he's successful, it'll be interesting to see if other states follow suit. [Image credit: Getty Images]