“This Week In Daily” is LegalSportsReport’s weekly wrap of key facts, happenings and miscellany from the daily fantasy sports industry.
Stories of note
CBS gets into DFS
DFS got another major player this week, as CBS launched daily contests through SportsLine.com.
The biggest part of the news, other than CBS joining the crowded market with DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo, and eventually PokerStars: Their contests are rake-free — and will continue to be for sometime — in a move that could eventually have ramifications for all operators.
So how will CBS do in the market? It has a lot of advantages — like all of its media platforms — that most other DFS sites have to pay to access. It also broadcasts football games, and is apparently banking on a business model that doesn’t generate revenue from entry fees. It will be interesting to watch how Yahoo and CBS fit into the market come NFL season.
More with Jeff Gerttula, the senior vice president and general manager of CBS Sports Digital, here.
‘State Of The DFS Industry’
The Daily Fantasy Sports Expo is going on in Miami this week. If you couldn’t attend, Eilers Research’s Adam Krejcik gives an excellent picture of where the industry sits heading into NFL season.
There are lots of good takeaways from his presentation, but one of the most interesting is who is No. 1 in the industry, a topic we also took a look at this week. DraftKings or FanDuel? We’ll find out this fall. And if you want to see how they are doing now, check out our newly launched Site Standings.
Of the week
Read of the week
“Daily fantasy sports land in gambling industry crosshairs”
As DFS gets more and more mainstream, we see more and more sharp reporting on the industry, including this piece by Reuters’ Liana Baker.
The story neatly takes a look at where the industry stands today, especially on the front of whether or not is considered, or will be treated as, gambling. For example:
So far, there has not been much lobbying from the gambling industry to restrict daily fantasy sports, mainly because the main trade group, the American Gaming Association, has formed a task force to study the issue but has yet to decide what its stance on it will be. Nevertheless, this has not stopped some gaming companies from speaking out, with some calling daily fantasy sports unlawful.
Tweet of the week
From what I’ve heard, PokerStars is likely building its own DFS product. Might not be ready for NFL season.
— Dan Cypra (@cypradn) August 5, 2015
Number of the week
$17.7 billion
The total amount of entry fees that Eilers Research projects the DFS industry will take in 2020. Eilers’ estimate for that figure for this year is $3.7 billion.
In case you missed it
Other news and stories from the world of DFS:
- Yahoo partners with MondoGoal for daily fantasy soccer.
- “FanDuelVille” is coming to Jacksonville’s NFL stadium. Is DraftKingsTown far behind?
- DraftKings is awarding $10 million in its biggest Week 1 NFL contest. And some ESPN season-long players could share in another million dollars.
- Golf could be on its way to the No. 2 spot behind football in DFS. The MMA vertical is doing pretty well at DraftKings, too. And watch out for college football this fall.
- RotoGrinders offers players a scripting tool for use at DraftKings.
