Sports betting will be broadly legalized in the US in approximately four years and one of its highest profile proponents, the National Basketball Association, will continue to call for a regulatory framework for wagering, American Gaming Association president and CEO Geoff Freeman said Wednesday. Those calls, however, will likely continue to stop short of direct legislative lobbying. NBA spokesman Michael Bass told Gambling Compliance that while his league maintained its position in favor of a law regulating sports betting, it was not going to become more aggressive in directly advocating for such a law. Freeman told those assembled that he…

US fantasy sports operator FanDuel has moved to enhance its presence in North America’s NBA basketball league by entering into a new multi-year partnership with the Charlotte Hornets. Under the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, FanDuel will become the team’s first-ever partner in the fantasy sports category. Hornets fans will gain access to free-to-play online FanDuel games and possibly win a range of VIP experiences such as autographed merchandise and the chance to travel with the team to an away game. FanDuel will also have activations at all Hornets watch parties during the 2015-16 season and will…

US fantasy sports operator FanDuel has moved to further expand its presence in North America by entering into partnerships with almost half of the teams in the National Basketball Association. The operator has signed multi-year deals with a total of 13 teams, with a number of these serving as extensions to previous deals. The Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz have all agreed new partnerships with FanDuel. Under the wide-ranging deals, FanDuel will gain access to various marketing assets…

NBA European partnerships are reportedly being discussed with various global betting companies over the possibility of securing a European partner. According to NBC Sports the NBA is keen on securing an official partner in Europe’s various regulated markets that allow consumers to bet on US professional sports leagues. The report names bwin.party and William Hill as two of the betting companies believed to be involved in the talks, but suggested that other operators have also spoken to the NBA. Both bwin and William Hill wouldn’t comment on the story when contacted by iGaming Business. An unnamed source that claims to have…