FanDuel has become the official odds provider of the Associated Press (AP) in a move that might clear up some confusion over legal versus illegal sportsbooks.
Under the agreement, FanDuel Sportsbook odds will appear in AP’s daily game previews, recaps and fixture lists.
The company will also include hyperlinks to the FanDuel homepage, but not specific bets or pages.
No affiliate deal for FanDuel, AP
The deal is structured as a marketing agreement rather than direct affiliate payments, Axios reported.
The companies also plan to integrate FanDuel widgets across the sports pages of APNews.com and distribute FanDuel content across the AP wire.
AP will retain editorial control of all content.
More demand for betting content
AP said its customers were increasingly asking for this kind of information.
“It makes sense to work with one of the largest reputable sportsbooks in the United States to provide a consistent, credible reference point for AP and its customers,” said Barry Bedlan, AP’s global director of text and new markets products.
Some clarity on legal sportsbooks
Beyond the two companies, the deal could also benefit the wider US sports betting industry. Mainstream media frequently cite offshore odds in coverage, including wagers on entertainment and politics that never would be booked at a regulated shop.
That leads to confusion over who is legitimate and who is not. It also gives the appearance that legal books will let you bet on most anything, which is not the case.
More than half of US consumers (55%) who bet with illegal operators believed they had wagered legally, according to recent research from the American Gaming Association.
The AGA said it needed to better educate the media around this issue.
Penn sees similar problems
Operators in the market have reported similar concerns. Penn National CEO Jay Snowden said recently there was still a lot of black market activity in the US.
“It’s not like people want to bet illegally, but a lot of people don’t know,” Snowden said at Penn’s Q1 results. “That’s an industry effort to make that common knowledge.”
This new FanDuel/AP deal can only help with that effort.
Growing media empire for FanDuel Sportsbook
For FanDuel, the deal expands a media presence that already included partnerships with:
- The Ringer
- Turner Sports
- Kenny Smith
- Charles Barkley
- World Wide Wob (Rob Perez)
- Cousin Sal
- Pat McAfee
FanDuel CMO Mike Raffensperger told Axios the operator is working to become a media and content company as well as a gambling company.
DraftKings is making similar moves.