On Monday, the NHL teamed up with FanDuel on a multi -year deal to make them their official daily fantasy partner. They will also become the official sports betting partner of the NHL. Commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, was excited to announce the partnership with FanDuel. He stated,
“As the sports betting environment increases, meaning we now have teams in two markets where sports betting is legal, Nevada and New Jersey, to have the daily sports fantasy element everywhere, gives our fans an opportunity to interact with FanDuel.”
This isn’t a total shock, as the NHL teamed up with MGM Resorts a few weeks ago as the official gaming partner and destination resort of the NHL. The New Jersey Devils also teamed up with FanDuel as soon as sports gambling was legalized in the state of New Jersey. The NHL is making the necessary partnerships to help increase the interaction with fans that leagues like the NFL and NCAAF can access through sports betting and daily fantasy sports. Gary Bettman catches a lot of heat for his performance as Commissioner, but he is making all the correct moves to help this undeniable future of the game.
So for anyone who is confused on what these partnerships actually mean, I’ll do my best to summarize it terms that make sense. In order to make gambling and daily sports accessible, reliable, and timely, these relationships are necessary. The NHL will eventually provide companies like FanDuel with time sensitive information like injuries and statistics. Fans will need that timely information to help thier make fantasy decisions based off of facts rather than speculation.
It is definitely exciting to see the league embrace these relationships and be enthusiastic about providing fans with a great, reliable, and timely platform for gambling and daily fantasy. I know I mentioned on a previous blog that a lot of people will be hesitant with this aspect of the game. But the truth is that it will help grow the game. As technology changes and grows, so does the way fans see the game. Now more than ever, fans develop relationships with not only players on their home town team, but they interact with players around the league like never before. Fantasy sports and sports gambling will help fans learn about the different teams and players throughout the league.
All in all, there are so many different ways people approach gambling and having the best information available is extremely important. In my opinion, this is just the beginning. I see a world where people will be able to live bet periods, power plays, and overtime while sitting in the stands. Fans will be able to interact in live time on any game they choose. The fan who doesn’t know much about gambling now, will certainly know everything there is to know once government finally takes there hands off the industry.
And since the Morning Skate is embracing the NHL gambling end of the game and letting Papa throw his red hot picks out there, follow the @bettingcrashers on twitter.
-Papa
The Morning Skate 