NFL and DraftKings Sign Up a Fantasy Sports Partnership

DraftKings will promote its offer with the help of the NFL, a one sworn opponent of any form of sports betting.

NFL and DraftKings Team Up for Fantasy Sports

The National Football League (NFL) – a once staunch supporter of royalty fees – has revealed a new partnership with daily fantasy sports (DFS) platform DraftKings. The NFL has signed a first daily fantasy sports of its own with the popular sportsbook.

While mainstream sporting bodies such as the NFL have long been against sports betting in principle, they have often turned a blind eye to fantasy sports, which is considered to be a sort of a pastime in the United States.

Similarly, when sports betting was still illegal prior to May 2018, daily fantasy operators were going at full blast around the country. Speaking of, the NFL is still going to focus just on daily fantasy sports with DraftKings, and no traditional athletic contests will be considered as part of the betting offer.

What Do DraftKings & NFL Get Out of the Deal?

NFL will receive a significant boost across various content platforms owing to the newfound partnership with DraftKings. Surprisingly enough, the league will assist DraftKings and hope to boost awareness for the platform. The NFL Network will feature various DraftKings adverts and sponsored content.

Commenting on the occasion, Jason Robins, CEO at DraftKings had the following thing to say:

Throughout our discussions with the League, it was evident we share a common vision around the future of fan engagement, and we are excited to continue on this unique journey with the NFL as our Official Daily Fantasy Partner.

DraftKings has already broached similar partnerships with other major sports bodies, including the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball. FanDuel has also hurried up to tie high-profile partnerships from the world of sports, adding the NBA as its main sports partner and vice versa.

Despite Opposition, NFL Steps into the Betting World

As stated before, sports betting wasn’t a topic that NFL got wholeheartedly behind when it was broach. The league was repeatedly demanding integrity fees so as to help boost the fairness of each individual contest, but no action plan was specified, which eventually led to the executives from the NFL scrapping the idea altogether.

In fact, Roger Goodell, Commissioner at the NFL, said that he was uncertain about the US Supreme Court decision which struck PASPA 1992, ushering in a new chapter in US sports betting. However, Chief Revenue Officer Renie Anderson seemed happy with the decision:

Daily fantasy football has been a tremendous vehicle for fans of all types to deepen their engagement with the NFL. We’re thrilled to partner with DraftKings, a clear leader in the daily fantasy space, as they continue to innovate and provide our millions of fans additional ways to interact with and enjoy the NFL.

The NFL is not the only league in the United States to has partnered with a betting company. FanDuel, a main competitor to DraftKings, is also teamed up with the NHL. MGM has ties with all the MLB, NBA and NHL.

While DraftKings is still focusing on daily fantasy sports, which was the bedrock of its operations in the lawless years of yore, the sportsbook is now focusing fully on boosting its presence in traditional sports.