Gambling news is fast and furious this week, as Florida sports betting is at the center of a war between politicians, the Seminole Tribe, and sports betting providers like FanDuel and DraftKings! Everyone is choosing sides, with millions of dollars invested and billions of dollars at stake! And the outcome could have consequences for gambling across America. Hello my friends, and welcome to another week of This Week in Gambling, where we have lines being drawn, sides being chosen, and potentially $2.5 billion in gambling profits on the line! Setting up for what could be a sports betting Battle Royale!…

The National Hockey League (NHL) has signed a fantasy sports and sports betting partnership with Paddy Power Betfair’s FanDuel brand. On Monday, the NHL announced a ‘multi-year’ deal that enshrines FanDuel as the league’s “exclusive official daily fantasy partner and official sports betting partner.” The lack of exclusivity on the sports betting side reflects the similar partnership the NHL signed with casino operator MGM Resorts last week. The deal will allow FanDuel to offer DFS players exclusive NHL content and prizes, while also tailoring free-play single-game DFS contests for marquee NHL events. As for the real-money sports betting side, FanDuel…

FanDuel has addressed one of the company’s biggest disadvantages in the ongoing battle against DraftKings by returning to the Texas fantasy sports market. Texas no longer appears on FanDuel’s list of blocked states. Users on Rotogrinders have also reported being able to access FanDuel from Texas. A FanDuel representative confirmed the decision via email to Legal Sports Report. “Considering a variety of factors related to the operation of daily fantasy sports in Texas, we have re-entered the market, while the issue is being resolved by the state.”, they said said. FanDuel’s decision effectively evens the competitive map for daily fantasy…

West Virginia Lottery Commission Director Alan Larrick has announced that the entity has passed sports betting rules after an emergency meeting that took place last Thursday. The state’s five casinos would be eligible to offer sports betting. “We’re trying to do everything we can to get sports betting available by football season — that’s what our goal is. We don’t know if we’re going to make it or not, but we’re going to try,” said Larrick, who commented that the rules are essentially guidelines for local casinos in order to let them know how to operate. West Virginia had already…

PaddyPower Betfair has entered a definitive agreement to acquire leading US DFS business FanDuel, it confirmed to the London market last week. FanDuel, one of the big two operators in the US DFS market alongside DraftKings, will be merged with PPB’s Betfair US business to target the prospective US sports betting market, following the repeal of the federal ban by the US Supreme Court last week. PaddyPower Betfair will contribute its existing US assets plus $158m in cash for a 61% share of the combined business, with FanDuel investors owning the other 39%. “A mechanism” has been agreed to take…

DraftKings and FanDuel have each agreed to pay more than $1m (€830,000) to resolve allegations of consumer-unfriendly practices in the US state of Massachusetts. Coinciding with the start of the new NFL American football season, both daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators are to pay $1.3m in a deal announced by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. The authorities in the state last year proposed a raft of consumer protection regulations, including restrictions on advertising that reflected the average DFS player’s slim chances of winning anything. More at iGaming Business