Esports

Writing an open letter to the media and DFS consumers, Nigel Eccles CEO and Co-founder of FanDuel has called for the US federal government to begin to regulate the industry. Eccles who leads FanDuel operations from New York and Edinburgh, stated that government intervention was the only way to ensure consumer trust and protection in the DFS market. In his …

The Boston Business Journal reports that DraftKings is ‘quietly’ seeking to raise a further $200 million in investment. If the Boston based DFS operator achieves its target funding, the company will have an estimated $2 billion valuation according to VC research and intelligence firm PitchBook. In six rounds of venture funding DraftKings has raised $375 million in investment from a …

Media and games research and intelligence provider SuperData has speculated that the global eSports market will surpass $1.9 billion in revenues by 2018. A SuperData report forecasts that eSports growth will be driven by further promotion of events by major broadcast networks combined with popular uptake of new competitive games content and tournament formats. At present SuperData estimates that eSports …

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), which has represented the US fantasy sports industry since 1998, announced  that it will form the Fantasy Sports Control Agency (FSCA) and appoint Former Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris to chair the independent agency. The FSCA will aim to create the following standards and practices for the industry: Standards: Develop a …

Reporting from last week’s EIG Berlin Expo for SBC, Scott Longley examines the commercial contexts and conditions for betting operators targeting competitive eSports, a leading theme and discussion on the EIG floor… ________________________ The main issues of the debate around the phenomenal rise of eSports and what it might mean for gambling companies looking at leveraging that interest were given …

Dallas Cowboys franchise owner Jerry Jones has openly voiced support for the daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry, stating that DFS services would not compromise NFL operations or players. Jones an investor in operator DraftKings, defended his private investment in the DFS operator, stating “I don’t think DraftKings or [competitor] FanDuel in any way compromise our players on the football field …

Major eSports organisation Fnatic, the home of six professional competitive gaming ds to traditional media giants are realizing that eSports is more than a stand-alone and temporary phenomenon.” He continued: “The business, consumer and technology trends that are driving the explosive growth of eSports are reshaping digital media as a whole and accelerating the inevitable disruption of the tra teams, …

Compliance grade  geo-location provider, GeoComply USA, Inc. has  announced the launch of “Solus,” its new suite of services for the daily fantasy sports industry. Specially designed for the needs of this rapidly evolving sector, Solus provides cutting edge geolocation and anti-fraud solutions tailored for the particular operational and market needs of daily fantasy sports. “DFS is one of the fastest growing sectors …

Having spearheaded eSports first ‘Competitive Integrity Certification Program’, aimed at establishing best practices, player and game guidelines/standards, and improving stakeholder dialogue. SBC caught up with Bryce Blum Director of eSports at Unikrn to gain further insight on why the certification program was established and its potential industry benefits. A lawyer and avid gamer, Blum who leads gaming operations for Unikrn was at …

US sports network ESPN, reports that the NCAA the governing body of college sports in the US, has prohibited DraftKings and FanDuel from advertising during its associated events. ESPN obtained a communication addressed to DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel senior executives Christian Genetski (Chief Legal Officer) and Matt King (Chief Financial Officer) requesting the operator to stop TV advertising …