Amaya has stepped into the DFS ‘data leak scandal’ by calling on regulators in the US to take a tougher stance on daily fantasy sports (DFS) in order to better protect consumers and players. DFS has come under fire in the US this week after it was revealed that a DraftKings manager inadvertently released data showing he knew which players were most picked prior as part of American football fantasy teams. He then went on to win US$350,000 (€312,800) betting on NFL games through rival operator FanDuel. DraftKings and FanDuel in a statement defended the integrity of their businesses and…

A major scandal is erupting in the multibillion-dollar industry of fantasy sports, the online and unregulated business in which players assemble their fantasy teams with real athletes. On Monday, the two major fantasy companies were forced to release statements defending their businesses’ integrity after what amounted to allegations of insider trading, that employees were placing bets using information not generally available to the public. The statements were released after an employee at DraftKings, one of the two major companies, admitted last week to inadvertently releasing data before the start of the third week of N.F.L. games. The employee, a midlevel…

News broke recently that DraftKings, the US daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator, has opened up a new office in London in order to take advantage of its new gaming licence. Daily fantasy sports betting has become a booming industry in the US in recent months and now the industry is looking towards the UK. As it stands, the DFS market is generating more than $2.5 billion each year in the US and when the main players begin to migrate over to the UK that figure will increase dramatically. Naturally, as DFS become more of a “thing” in the UK, sports fans will…

Yahoo has unveiled a retooled version of its fantasy sports mobile app that lets users wager real money daily and weekly against their friends and in bigger online tournaments. It seems that the company is looking to supplement its stagnant advertising business with a new foray into legal online gambling. To generate income from the venture, Yahoo will keep about 10% of the entry fees paid by the players, this according to Ken Fuchs, Vice President of publisher products at Yahoo. The company said that said playing its Daily Fantasy Sports game is legal in 45 states, with just Iowa,…

DraftKings has agreed a deal to become the official daily fantasy sports offering across all platforms operated by US sports broadcaster and Disney subsidiary ESPN. Under the agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed, both companies will benefit from branding and promotional opportunities across multiple ESPN and DraftKings platforms. Such opportunities will include integration into digital properties and television programming. Walt Disney Company-owned ESPN has already established itself as one of the leading fantasy sports providers in the US, having provided games and content in the country for over 20 years. According to figures from the broadcaster, more than 12…

A Louisiana bill that would legalize daily fantasy sports has met with opposition that threatens the bill’s future, at least for this legislative session. The bill from Rep. Joseph Lopinto — HB 475 — seeks to create a carveout in state law that differentiates playing fantasy sports from gambling. Legal Sports Report has learned that the Louisiana Family Forum and some brick-and-mortar gaming interests in the state have come out in opposition to the legislation. After relatively smooth sailing previously — it made it out of the state house with minimal opposition — the problems apparently began when the bill…